-ke

• -ken

From earlier -ken, from Middle Dutch -ken, -kin, -kijn, from Old Dutch *ukīn, apparently representing Proto-West Germanic *-ukīn, a double diminutive, from *-uk.

The standard Dutch -tje and its variants are derived from -ke(n) through palatalization. Cognate with German -chen, Low German -ken, English -kin, -ock.

• Audio:

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-ke n (plural -kes)

1. (colloquial, Southern) Synonym of -tje (“diminutive noun suffix”)

• -kene

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-ke (genitive -kese, partitive -kest)

1. A noun suffix that builds (endearing) diminutives from nouns.
   • kivi (stone) → kivike (a small stone)

Diminutives can be stacked, yielding -kene, -keseke, -kesekene. The longer forms are rarely used, as they are used to further emphasize either on endearing or diminutive value.

From -kka +‎ -e.

• IPA^(key): /-keˣ/, [-k̟e̞(ʔ)]

-ke

1. Forms diminutive forms of nouns.

   ‎aalto (“wave”) + ‎-ke → ‎aalloke (“wavelet”)

   ‎siipi (“wing”) + ‎-ke → ‎siiveke (“aileron”)

   ‎lause (“sentence”) + ‎-ke → ‎lauseke (“expression; phrase”)

2. Forms nouns from verbs, often to describe the result of an action.

   ‎elää (“to live”) + ‎-ke → ‎eläke (“pension”)

   ‎seisahtaa (“to come to a standstill”) + ‎-ke → ‎seisake (“railway stop”)

3. (rare) Forms nouns from adjectives.

   ‎lämmin (“warm”) + ‎-ke → ‎lämmike (“something used to warm up”)

Back vowel harmony:

Front vowel harmony:

• -e

• Auli Hakulinen with Maria Vilkuna, Riitta Korhonen, Vesa Koivisto, Tarja Riitta Heinonen, and Irja Alho (2004) “§ 257 ke-sanojen koostumus ja merkitys”, in Iso suomen kielioppi‎^[1], Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, →ISBN

• EK

• -ken (in other dialects)

From Middle Low German -eken, from Old Saxon *-ukīn, from Proto-West Germanic *-ukīn. Compare German -chen, Dutch -ke.

-ke n (noun plural -kes)

1. (Low Prussian) Suffix used to form the diminutive of nouns and hypocoristic forms of proper nouns and other parts of speech.

   Brotke ― bread

   Anke ― Annie

   Gottke ― God

   kommke ― come (second-person singular present imperative, hypocoristic)

• Erhard Riemann (et al.), Preußisches Wörterbuch: deutsche Mundarten Ost- und Westpreußens (1974)
• A. Treichel, Dialectische Räthsel, Reime und Märchen aus dem Ermlande, in Altpreussische Monatsschrift neue Folge. Der Preussischen Provinzial-Blätter vierte Folge, volume 27 (1890), edited by Rudolf Reicke and Ernst Wichert, pp. 327–332; on p. 332:

  Aus Braunsberg wird mir noch gemeldet (Pfr. Preuschoff), daß dort und in der Umgegend die Verkleinerungs-Endsilbe -chen und -lein, erstere in -ke verplattdeutscht, überaus häufig und überall angehängt werden, wie z. B. Jacke! nêke! kommke! Ebenso an Personennamen. Man hört die Schulkinder ihren Gefährten also zurufen: Albrechtke, Ehmke, Eadmannke (Erdmannchen), Wulfke u. s. w.

• H. Frischbier, Preußisches Wörterbuch. Ost- und westpreußische Provinzialismen, volume 1, A–K (1882)
• H. Frischbier, Preußisches Wörterbuch. Ost- und westpreußische Provinzialismen, volume 2, L–Z (1883)

From Proto-Finno-Ugric. Compare Finnish -kka and Estonian -ke.

• IPA^(key): [kɛ]
• Rhymes: -kɛ

-ke

1. (diminutive suffix) Added to a word to express smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment. When added to present participles, it can also express the instrument or place of the action indicated in the base word.

   ‎egy (“one”) + ‎-ke → ‎egyke (“only child”)

   ‎egér (“mouse”) + ‎-ke → ‎egérke (“tiny mouse”)

   ül (“to sit”) → ülő (“sitting”) → ülőke (“seat, small seat”)

• (diminutive suffix) Variants:

  -ka is added to back-vowel words

  -ke is added to front-vowel words

• -cske
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

From -kka +‎ -e. Akin to Finnish -ke.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-ke/, [-ke̞]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-ke/, [-ke̞]

-ke

1. (rare, unproductive) Used to form nouns from adjectives.

• -’ke

From Proto-North Iroquoian *keh.

-ke

1. locative suffix in, at

• Nora Deering, Helga H. Delisle (1976) Mohawk: A teaching grammar (preliminary version), Quebec: Manitou College, page 104

• IPA^(key): [-kʰɛ̀(ʔ)]

-ke

1. Used to form collective nouns.

• Follows the suffixes -ah and -cho, as well as the possessive suffix:

  ‎dene (“person”) + ‎-ke → ‎deneke (“people”)

  ‎sedeneé (“my person”) + ‎-ke → ‎sedeneéke (“my people”)

• Keren Rice (1989) A Grammar of Slave, Berlin, West Germany: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 247

• IPA^(key): [-ke]

• -che (allomorph after i)

-ke

1. forms adverbs from nouns with a resulting meaning of ‘having X’, ‘with X’; must be accompanied by the prefix t- and can also follow a possessive suffix -i

It is unclear if t- -ke is best analyzed as an adverbializing circumfix or as a separate unspecified person prefix t- and adverbializing suffix -ke.

-ke

1. Only used in -kene (distant past imperfective suffix).

-ke

1. allomorph of -e (adverbializer) used for stems with a reducing final syllable that begins with k

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “-ke”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[2], Lyon, pages 150–151, 213–222

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

-ke

1. now
2. and so
3. then
4. very well

   Yeboke.

   Yes, very well.

The suffix is usually affixed to the first word of the sentence.

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “-ke”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ke”