a noun suffix occurring originally in loanwords from French, where it has been used in a variety of diminutive and hypocoristic formations ( brunette; cigarette; coquette; etiquette; rosette ); as an English suffix, -ette forms diminutives ( kitchenette; novelette; sermonette ), distinctively feminine nouns ( majorette; usherette ), and names of imitation products ( leatherette ). Cf. -et .
[ -et -ET ]
Usage . English nouns in which the suffix -ETTE designates a feminine role or identity have been perceived by many people as implying inferiority or insignificance: bachelorette; drum majorette; farmerette; suffragette; usherette. Of these terms, only drum majorette - or sometimes just majorette - is still widely used, usually applied to one of a group of young women who perform baton twirling with a marching band. A woman or man who actually leads a band is a drum major. Baton twirler is often used instead of ( drum ) majorette. Farmer, suffragist, and usher are applied to both men and women, thus avoiding any trivializing effect of the -ETTE ending. See also -enne, -ess, -trix .