Wiktionary

small

See also: Small and smäll
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English
Icelandic • Low German • Middle English • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Swedish • Yola
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English

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Etymology

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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”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

  1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
    Synonyms: little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Thesaurus:small
    Antonyms: big, (said of an amount of something given) generous, large; see also Thesaurus:large
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      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.
    1. Humiliated or insignificant.
      The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.
    2. Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
      Synonyms: little, under-endowed (of genitals)
      Though over six feet tall, the man was very small and ashamed to undress.
  2. (figuratively, not comparable) Young, as a child.
    Synonyms: little, (Scottish) wee, young
    Antonyms: adult, grown-up, old
    Remember when the children were small?
  3. (writing, not comparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
    Synonyms: lowercase, minuscule
    Antonyms: big, capital, majuscule, uppercase
    • 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."
  4. Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
  5. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
    a small space of time
  6. Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”)
    small science
  7. (archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.
  8. (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).
    I'll have a small coffee, thanks.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Translations

Adverb

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small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

  1. In a small fashion
    Don't write very small!
  2. 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.
  3. (obsolete) To a small extent.
  4. (obsolete) In a low tone; softly.
    • c. 1595–1596 (date written), 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, [Act I, scene ii], line 49:
      That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will.

Derived terms

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Noun

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small (countable and uncountable, plural smalls) (nominalized)

  1. (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured.
    Synonym: S
  2. (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
    Two smalls and a large, please.
  3. (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
  4. (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

Derived terms

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Verb

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small (third-person singular simple present smalls, present participle smalling, simple past and past participle smalled)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less.
  2. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.

Anagrams

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Icelandic

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Verb

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small (strong)

  1. first-person singular past indicative of smella
  2. third-person singular past indicative of smella

Low German

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Etymology

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From Middle Low German smal, from Old Saxon smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz. Cognate with German schmal, Dutch smal, English small.

Adjective

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small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)

  1. narrow
  2. small, slender

Declension

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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/smallen 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/smalleren 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/smallsten 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.

Middle English

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Adjective

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small

  1. Alternative form of smal

Norwegian Bokmål

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Verb

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small

  1. (non-standard since 2005) past tense of smelle

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Verb

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small

  1. past tense of smella

Swedish

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Verb

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small

  1. past indicative of smälla

Anagrams

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Yola

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Adjective

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small

  1. Alternative form of smaale
    • GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
      A small neal.

References

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  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 58
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  NODES
Note 3
Verify 1