Small

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /smɔːl/
• Rhymes: -ɔːl
• US IPA: /smÉ”l/
• cot-caught IPA: /smÉ‘l/

Origin

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 små ("small"); Latin malus ("bad"); Russian малый (mályj, "small").

Full definition of small

Adjective

1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 5, 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.
• 2013-06-22, Engineers of a different kind, 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.
2. A small serving of ice cream.
   A small group.
   He made us all feel small.
3. (figuratively) Young, as a child.
   Remember when the children were small?
4. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written letters.
5. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
• CarlyleA true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
6. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.a small space of time

Synonyms

• (not large or big) little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also
• (young, as a child) little, wee Scottish, young
• (of written letters) lowercase, minuscule

Antonyms

• (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

Adverb

1. In a small fashion.
• circa 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.
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.
• unknown date William Shakespeare, Sonnets, "Lucrece", line 1273It small avails my mood.

Derived terms

• writ small

Noun

1. Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
2. (UK, in the plural) Underclothes.

Derived terms

• small of the back

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less.
2. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.
• Thomas HardyAnd smalled till she was nought at all.

Anagrams

• malls