3 ms·

Yup, exact same thing - annulus being the Latin diminutive

• legerdemain 5y ago
  Similar process with "homunculus" (little man) and "calculus" (little rock) and "nucleus" (little nut).
  • thaumasiotes 5y ago
    Huh. "Nucleus" is a form that looks like an adjective to me; I'd expect "nucula" for the diminutive of "nux". And indeed I see this on etymonline: > from Latin nucleus "kernel," from nucula "little nut," diminutive of nux (genitive nucis) "nut," So for whatever reason a new word was called for, and our nucleus comes from that, not from the diminutive form of "nut".
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]