small
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
- (UK)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /smɔːl/
Audio (UK): [smoːw] (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 letters.
- Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- Carlyle
- A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
- Carlyle
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- a small space of time
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
Terms derived from small (adj.)
- don't sweat the small stuff
- small arm
- small arms
- small beer
- small calorie
- small-cell lung cancer
- small change
- small claims court
- smallclothes
- smaller European elm bark beetle
- small forward
- small fry
- small game
TranslationsEdit
not large
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young
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minuscule or lowercase, referring to written letters
AdverbEdit
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)
- In a small fashion.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, scene 2, line 49:
- That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, scene 2, line 49:
- 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.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare, Sonnets, "Lucrece", line 1273
- It small avails my mood.
- (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare, Sonnets, "Lucrece", line 1273
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.
AnagramsEdit
IcelandicEdit
Low GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Saxon smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz. Cognate with German schmal, Dutch smal, English small.
AdjectiveEdit
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)
DeclensionEdit
Positive forms of small
| 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 | |
Comparative forms of small
| 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 | |
Superlative forms of small
| 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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