-ock

suffix forming nouns orig. with diminutive sense (hillock; bullock).
Etymology: from or after OE -uc, -oc

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\\ək or, in many words, ik or ēk\ noun suffix (-s)

Etymology: Middle English -oc, -ok, from Old English -uc, -oc

: small one

bittock

lassock

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a native English suffix of nouns, used to form descriptive names (ruddock, lit., the red one) and diminutives (hillock).

[ME -ok, OE -oc, -uc]

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-ock /-ək/

suffix

Denoting a diminutive, as in hillock

ORIGIN: OE -oc or -uc

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-ock,

suffix. diminutive, as in dunnock, hillock.

╂[Middle English -ok, Old English -oc, -uc]

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suffix forming nouns originally with diminutive sense

haddock | pollock

■ also occasionally forming words from other sources

bannock | hassock

Origin:

Old English -uc, -oc

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-ock

suffix, forming diminutives. A few examples of dimin. -oc, -uc, appear in OE., as bealloc ballock, bulluc bullock. In mod.Eng., the chief instance of the dim. suffix is hillock (found already in Wyclif); but other examples occur in the dialects, esp. in Sc., e.g. bittock, lassock, queock or queyock, whilock, wyfock, also proper names as Bessock, Jamock, Kittock: see Jamieson s.v. -oc, -ock. Several names of animals, esp. birds and fishes, have the same ending, and are prob. orig. diminutive; among these are OE. cranoc, cornoc (dim. of cran), crane; ruddoc (read red) redbreast, ruddock; cf. the modern (some ME.) dunnock, haddock, girrock, paddock, piddock, pinnock, pollock, puttock; also, as names of things, buttock, hattock, tussock. In other words (some of which, as bannock, hassock, mattock, go back to OE.) -ock appears to be of different origin.