paucal
English Edit
Etymology Edit
From Latin paucālis (“few, little”), from paucus, plural paucī (“few, little, a few, the select few, the oligarchs”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little”), + Latin adjective suffix -ālis.
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
paucal (not comparable)
- Characterized by having a small number, greater than two, of (usually equivalent) components.
- (grammar) Pertaining to a language form referring to a few of something (three to around ten), as a small group of people; contrast singular, dual, trial, and plural.
- first-person paucal
- paucal number
- paucal and plural pronouns
- (linguistics) Expressing a relatively small quantity or degree.
- Antonym: multal
- 2002, Rodney Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language:
- But too much can occur in the negative with a paucal meaning when there is no explicit or implicit infinitival complement: I didn't enjoy it too much is simply an informal alterant of I didn't enjoy it very much.
Antonyms Edit
- (few): multiple
Translations Edit
paucal (adjective)
Noun Edit
paucal (uncountable)
- (grammar) A language form referring to a few of something (three to around ten), as a small group of people; contrast singular, dual, trial, and plural.
Derived terms Edit
Translations Edit
paucal (noun)
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Related terms Edit
See also Edit
- (grammatical numbers) grammatical number; singular, dual, trial, quadral, quintal, paucal, plural (Category: en:Grammar)
References Edit
- “paucal”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
French Edit
Pronunciation Edit
Adjective Edit
paucal (feminine paucale, masculine plural paucaux, feminine plural paucales)