What's a suffix that means to find something cute or adorable?

Question

"Xenophobia" is being fearful of outsiders, and "xenophilia" would be to love outsiders.

To fit in with these words, I'm looking for a suffix to attach to the "xeno~" prefix to in order to create a word that means to find a person to be adorable or cute because they are foreign.

"Xenophilia" does not fit, because the implication of the "~philia" suffix is too accepting and desirous of the target. To say someone was a xenophile is more or less to say they would love it all the more if they were surrounded by foreigners all the time.

I'm very much looking for something where the object of adoration is simultaneously considered diminutive and not necessarily respected. Like how people might consider a foreign person to be cute because of their accent and behaviour, but still have a sense that they are alien to the host culture. People may laugh along with a foreigner's antics without malice, but still regard that foreigner as necessarily separate.

Does such a suffix that means "cute" in the sense of "diminutive" exist?

Answer 1

There are lots of diminutive suffixes, but none that mean cute, at least in English. They do impart a sense of affection, though.

• -ie(s) (hottie, sweetie, Petie, cutie, duckie, footsie, elevensies, onesies.
• -y (daddy, doggy, kitty, mommy)
• -sy (Flopsy, Mopsy)
• -ling (duckling, dear-ling)
• -(d)oodle (honeydoodle, canoodle)
• -et/-ette/-etti/-etto/-it/-ita/-ito/-itta (mamacita, amaretto, Manolito)
• -let/-lette (applet, chicklet, piglet)
• -kin(s) (catkin, lambkin, ?pumpkin, honeykins, Sallykins)

I think you're going to have to create something, and I'm afraid it might be rather silly in English.

Xenodoodle is, well, silly, but certainly connotes a feeling that you think the xeno- is cute.

Xenokins? Xenolette? Xenoling?

Answer 2

"Xenophilia" does not fit, because the implication of the "~philia" suffix is too accepting and desirous of the target. To say someone was a xenophile is more or less to say they would love it all the more if they were surrounded by foreigners all the time.

Xenophilia covers a wider range than you suggest here. What you are describing would certainly fall under xenophilia, but not all reasonable uses of xenophilia would match your target meaning.

As such, if I wanted to restrict myself to classical roots, I'd probably use xenophile to describe what you are talking about, but perhaps clarify further if necessary. (Not necessary in "Ever the xenophile, Alice kept describing Bob as 'a cutie' and his accent as 'adorable'" because the rest of the sentence makes it clear the level of attraction I'm describing, but perhaps necessary otherwise).

If I really wanted to express "cuteness" or "finding something cute", I probably wouldn't restrict myself to classical roots.

The language we choose to borrow from in a given case is based on:

1. The language itself (that is, the range of words and phrases it makes available).
2. The culture(s) associated with that language.
3. Our understanding of said culture(s). (That is, an inaccurate view of the culture would have as much, if not more, effect than the actual facts of the matter).

With this in mind, if I want to coin a phrase of "finding foreigners cute", the answer is obvious: Borrow from Japanese.

Gaijin, 外人: Outsider, foreigner. (Pretty much as with the Greek ξένος you were originally using). Moe, 萌え: Slang, a reaction of attraction to "cute" characters, people or things, the target of such an attraction, something which produces a feeling of moe, often used as a suffix. It wouldn't really apply to the person feeling the moe, but phrases using it get shortened further when borrowed into English, so for the purposes here, it would.

Therefore, I'd use gaijinmoe, if I really didn't find xenophile or xenophilia to be specific enough.

Do note that not some things you can find googling for 外人萌え are NSFW.