Bunionette
/ˌbʌn.jənˈet/noun
A bunion-like deformity affecting the joint at the base of the little toe.
Did you know?The term is a modern medical formation built from bunion plus the French-derived diminutive suffix “-ette,” meaning “small” or “little.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic or early Germanic period
Germanic
*bungjō (reconstructed)
“A swelling, lump, or protuberance; the deeper source proposed for French bugne, though the reconstruction is uncertain.”
Medieval period
Old French
buigne
“A bump, lump, or swelling.”
16th–17th Century
French
bugne
“A lump or swelling, especially a bodily protuberance.”
1718
English
bunion
“A swelling or projecting deformity of the foot, from French bugne.”
19th–20th Century
English medical terminology
bunionette
“A smaller bunion-like deformity at the base of the fifth toe, formed with the diminutive suffix -ette.”