־ל

• IPA^(key): /ɫ̩/

From Middle High German -el, from Old High German -il, from Old High German -ilī. Compare German -lein, dialectal German -el, -erl, Alemannic German -li.

־ל • (-l) n (plural ־לעך (-lekh))

1. Forms diminutive nouns when added to a noun, with umlaut where applicable.

• With nouns already ending in ־ל (-l) another consonant must be interfixed to form the diminutive. This is usually ־כ־ (-kh-) as in ‎שפּיל (shpil) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎שפּילכל (shpilkhl), ‎געל (gel) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎געלכל (gelkhl).
• With nouns in ־ן (-n), Yiddish also disallows the simple suffixation of ־ל (-l), but there are two possible ways of handling this:

1. The final ־ן (-n) may be deleted before the suffix: ‎קערן (kern) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎קערל (kerl), ‎בויגן (boygn) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎בייגל (beygl).
2. A consonant may be interfixed, either ־כ־ (-kh-) as above, or instead ־ד־ (-d-): ‎באַן (ban) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎בענכל (benkhl), ‎האָן (hon) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎הענדל (hendl). This may also apply when the noun ends in a vowel, but the last consonant of the word is ־נ־ (-n-): ‎אַפֿענע (afene) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎אַפֿענדל (afendl).

• Note that some nouns use both forms as diminutives, e.g. ‎קערן (kern) + ‎־ל (-l) → ‎קערל (kerl) or קערנדל (kerndl), albeit often with different senses.

• ־דל (-dl), ־כל (-khl), ־עכל (-ekhl) — after -l or -n

• Hebrew: ־לה (-le)

• ־עלע (-ele)

From Middle High German teil (“part”), whence טייל (teyl). Cognate with German -el as in Drittel etc. The plural in ־לעך (-lekh) is by analogy with etymology 1 above.

־ל • (-l) n (plural ־לעך (-lekh) or (when preceded by a numeral) invariable)

1. Forms fractional numerals when added to the stem of an ordinal numeral.