Small Definition
small
See also smäll
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English
Wikipedia has articles on: SmallPronunciation
- (UK) IPA: /smɔːl/, SAMPA: /smO:l/
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Audio (UK) (file)
- Rhymes: -ɔːl
- (US) IPA: /smɔl/, SAMPA: /smOl/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA: /smɑl/, SAMPA: /smAl/
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Audio (US) (file)
Etymology
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 West Frisian smel (“narrow”), Dutch smal (“narrow”), German schmal (“narrow, small”), Danish små (“small”), Latin malus (“bad”), Russian малый (mályj, “small”).
Adjective
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size.
- 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.
Synonyms
- (not large or big): little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Wikisaurus:tiny
- (young, as a child): little, wee (Scottish), young
- (of written letters): lowercase, minuscule
Antonyms
- See also Wikisaurus: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 terms
Terms derived from small (adj.)
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Adverb
small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)
- In a small fashion.
Derived terms
- writ small
Noun
small (plural smalls)
- Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
- (UK, in the plural) Underclothes.
Derived terms
Statistics
- Most common English words before 1923: country · course · side · #222: small · cannot · father · nor
Anagrams
Swedish
Verb
small
- past tense of smälla.
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