Cuddling takes longer than hugging, it’s like an extended hug. The -le suffix in English is often frequentative, so sparkle meant “to emit many sparks”, for example.
It is one of the best bits of derivational morphology I know!
And the best part is that it is part of the explanation of where the word “disgruntled” comes from. Turns out there really is a word “gruntled”, or well, there was - it’s fallen out of usage. “Gruntle” meant “to emit many small grunts” - as a pig might do if it were content. So disgruntled came to mean the opposite of being content.
Cuddling takes longer than hugging, it’s like an extended hug. The -le suffix in English is often frequentative, so sparkle meant “to emit many sparks”, for example.
Thanks to your comment, I’ve learned about the -le prefix and unlocked a new word. I’m going to bed satisfied. :)
It is one of the best bits of derivational morphology I know!
And the best part is that it is part of the explanation of where the word “disgruntled” comes from. Turns out there really is a word “gruntled”, or well, there was - it’s fallen out of usage. “Gruntle” meant “to emit many small grunts” - as a pig might do if it were content. So disgruntled came to mean the opposite of being content.
TIL