Bladelet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small or miniature sharp-edged cutting instrument or a diminutive part of a larger blade often used for precision tasks or detailed work
2. A tiny or slender component resembling a blade, typically serving as a cutting edge on tools, weapons, or machinery in a compact form
3. A reduced-sized blade segment characterized by its narrow, sharp edge that functions similarly to a full-sized blade but in a smaller, more delicate scale

Etymology: "Bladelet" is a plain formation: the noun "blade" with the diminutive suffix "-let" added to its end. "Blade" itself goes back to Old English "blæd," meaning a leaf or a flat, broad part of something, and it passed into the sense of a cutting edge only later, in Middle English. So the word's core meaning of a leaf or leaf-like flat surface sits behind the modern sense of a knife edge. The suffix "-let" came into English from Old French "-elet" and "-et," which descended from Latin "-ellus" and "-ittus," both used to mark something small. English had already been using "-let" with nouns for centuries before "bladelet" was formed, which is why it is attached so readily to ordinary words like "book" and "streamlet." The result is a compound that announces its meaning directly: a little blade.

Synonyms: small blade, mini blade