kleini

Old High German

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“brilliantly bright, fine, elegant”) (compare Old English clǣne), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick, smudge”).

Alternative forms

• klein

Adjective

kleini

2. small, fine, slender
3. soft, clean
4. smart, thorough, wise, crafty, keen
5. costly

Descendants

• Middle High German: klein, kleine
  • Alemannic German: chlii, chly, chlei, klei, chli
    • Swabian: gloi
    • Vorarlbergerisch: klän, klen, kli, klin
  • Bavarian: klaa, kloa

    Apeltonerisch: klua

    Cimbrian: khlòan, khlumma (Luserna)

    Mòcheno: khloa'n

  • Central Franconian: kleen
    • Hunsrik: kleen
    • Kölsch: klein
  • German: klein
  • Luxembourgish: kleng
  • Rhine Franconian:
    • Hessian: klaan
    • Pennsylvania German: glee
  • Yiddish: קליין (kleyn)

Etymology 2

Nominalization of the above.

Alternative forms

• klēnī

Noun

kleinī f

2. beauty, delicateness, cleanness
3. experience, cleverness
4. proof, knowledge, sense

Declension

Declension of kleinī (īn-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	kleinī	—
accusative	kleinī	—
genitive	kleinī	—
dative	kleinī	—

Descendants

• Middle High German: kleine
  • German: Kleine