"Cojuelo" in the dictionary here at the site

Question

The entry for "cojuelo" presents the word as an adjective, but then defines the word as "a small cripple (m)". I think that the "(m)" is intended to mean "masculine noun".

cojuelo [co-hoo-ay’-lo, lah] adjective

1. A small cripple. (m)

Velazquez® Spanish and English Dictionary. Copyright © 2007 by Velazquez® Press. All rights reserved.

Is cojuelo "a small cripple"? I do not find the word in my Harper Collins or Gran Diccionario Oxford. I suppose I can try the RAE.

Later: The RAE gives me:

cojuelo.

(Del dim. desus. de cojo).

? V.

diablo cojuelo

I am not sure what "desus" means, but ¡Aha! I find "cojo" ...a lame person or an adjective meaning lame.

In fact, both Harper Collins and the Gran Diccionario Oxford seldom list diminutive forms. I'll have to learn the patterns for these.

I will leave the post in place, though, directing my query to the administrators to see if our dictionary should be corrected.

desus(ado)=no longer used, out of use - 0074b507, Oct 9, 2010

Answer 1

Cojo is an adjective that means "lame". Typically in Spanish an adjective can be turned into a noun pretty easily. El cojo = the lame one. Cojuelo is the diminutive, the little lame one.

The dictionary here is not good with diminutives.

Answer 2

Paralee has a section I saw in Level 4 that deals with the formation of diminutives. Most common is to just ad -ito/a, which in this case would be cojito. Most grammars cover this as well. There are some variations, obviously.

J

That's a pretty good lesson. It covers the -cito/-cita variation, as well. - KevinB, Oct 10, 2010

Answer 3

Thank you, Jeremias. I will have a look.

Paralee has a section I saw in Level 4 that deals with the formation of diminutives.

I found this discussion of suffixes from the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary 5th edition. But even that source did not provide me the understanding of "uelo" for the "o" in "cojo".

I expect the lesson deals, too, with these more common ways to form diminutives. What I am hoping to find is an source with exhaustive coverage

However, because - as qfreed pointed out to me -- it is marked as "desus" (out of use) in the RAE, I don't hold out much hope.

Answer 4

Thank you, qfreed, for the explanation of "desus". If this diminutive is old-fashioned and seldom in use, I wonder how one would be likely to make the diminutive today?

@KevinB, I am curious if there is a good reference that lists every possible way to create a diminutive in Spanish. However, I have not even yet checked the reference section here at the Span¡shD!ct.com site.....