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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
-SE, suff. A hypocoristic ending attached to reduced forms of various Christian (esp. female) names, as Epps (cf. Eppie, Elsie), Jinse ( < Jean), Mause ( < Mall, Moll(y)), Nanse ( < Nan, short for Anne or occas. Agnes).
[It is uncertain whether this was the original of the sim. suff. -Sie, 1. or is a back formation from it. There may be some distant connection with the -s of Eng. surnames h.ke Davis, Jones, Watts, which are found first in fem. names.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"-se suffix". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 30 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/se_suffix>
