small
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
- (UK)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /smɔːl/
Audio (UK): [smoːw] (file)
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔːl
- (US)
- (General American) IPA(key): /smɔl/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /smɑl/
Audio (US): [smɑɫ] (file)
- (Canada) IPA(key): /smɑl/
- (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA(key): /smoːl/
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ма́лый (mályj, “small”).
AdjectiveEdit
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
- Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.
- 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
- Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.
- A small serving of ice cream.
- A small group.
- He made us all feel small.
- (figuratively) Young, as a child.
- Remember when the children were small?
- (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
- 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 584:
- "I've got catholic tastes. Catholic with a small "c", of course."
- Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling
- A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
- 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- a small space of time
- (archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.
SynonymsEdit
- (not large or big): little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny
- (young, as a child): little, wee (Scottish), young
- (of written letters): lowercase, minuscule
AntonymsEdit
- See also Thesaurus:large
- (not large or big): capital, big, generous (said of an amount of something given), large
- (young, as a child): adult, grown-up, old
- (of written letters): big, capital, majuscule, uppercase
Derived termsEdit
- big fish in a small pond
- don't sweat the small stuff
- small arms
- small beer
- small calorie
- small-cell lung cancer
- small change
- small claims court
- smallclothes
- smallen
- smaller European elm bark beetle
- small fortune
- small forward
- small fry
- small game
- smallgoods
- Small Heath
- small heath
- smallholder
- smallholding
- small hours
- small intestine
- smallish
- small-minded
- smallmouth
- smallmouth bass
- smallmouth black bass
- smallness
- small potatoes
- smallpox
- smalls
- small-scale
- small screen
- small stuff
- smallsword
- small talk
- small-time
- small, unmarked bills
- small wonder
TranslationsEdit
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AdverbEdit
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)
- In a small fashion. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- In or into small pieces.
- 2009, Ingrid Hoffman, CBS Early Morning for September 28, 2009 (transcription)
- That's going to go in there. We've got some chives small chopped as well.
- 2009, Ingrid Hoffman, CBS Early Morning for September 28, 2009 (transcription)
- (obsolete) To a small extent.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Lvcrece (First Quarto)small avails my mood., London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], OCLC 236076664, line 1273:
- (obsolete) In a low tone; softly.
- c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act 1, scene 2], line 49:
- That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will.
Derived termsEdit
NounEdit
small (plural smalls)
- (rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
Derived termsEdit
VerbEdit
small (third-person singular simple present smalls, present participle smalling, simple past and past participle smalled)
- (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less.
- (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.
- 1917, Thomas Hardy, The Clock of the Years
AnagramsEdit
IcelandicEdit
VerbEdit
small (strong)
Low GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle Low German smal, from Old Saxon smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz. Cognate with German schmal, Dutch smal, English small.
AdjectiveEdit
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)
DeclensionEdit
gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | he is small | se is small | dat is small | se sünd small | |
partitive | een Smalls | een Smalls | wat Smalls | allens Small | |
strong declension (without article) |
nominative | smalle | smalle | small | smalle |
oblique | smallen | smalle | small | smalle | |
weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | de smalle | de smalle | dat smalle | de smallen |
oblique | den smallen | de smalle | dat smalle | de smallen | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | en smalle | en smalle | en small/smallet | (keen) smallen |
oblique | en smallen | en smalle | en small/smallet | (keen) smallen |
gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | he is smaller | se is smaller | dat is smaller | se sünd smaller | |
partitive | een smallers | een smallers | wat smallers | allens smaller | |
strong declension (without article) |
nominative | smallere | smallere | smaller | smallere |
oblique | smallern | smallere | smaller | smallere | |
weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | de smallere | de smallere | dat smallere | de smallern |
oblique | den smallern | de smallere | dat smallere | de smallern | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | en smallere | en smallere | en smaller | (keen) smallern |
oblique | en smallern | en smallere | en smaller | (keen) smallern |
gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | he is de Smallste | se is de Smallste | dat is dat Smallste | se sünd de Smallsten | |
strong declension (without article) |
nominative | smallste | smallste | smallst | smallste |
oblique | smallsten | smallste | smallst | smallste | |
weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | de smallste | de smallste | dat smallste | de smallsten |
oblique | den smallsten | de smallste | dat smallste | de smallsten | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | en smallste | en smallste | en smallst | (keen) smallsten |
oblique | en smallsten | en smallste | en smallst | (keen) smallsten |
Note: This declension is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects. |
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Middle EnglishEdit
AdjectiveEdit
small
- Alternative form of smal
SwedishEdit
VerbEdit
small
- past tense of smälla.