Word Study
little
CIDE DICTIONARY
little, a. [OE. litel, lutel, AS. l, lītel, l; akin to OS. littil, D. luttel, LG. lÜtt, OHG. luzzil, MHG. lÜtzel; and perh. to AS. lytig deceitful, lot deceit, Goth. liuts deceitful, lut to deceive; cf. also Icel. lītill little, Sw. liten, Dan. liden, lille, Goth. leitils, which appear to have a different root vowel.].
- Small in size or extent; not big; diminutive; -- opposed to
big orlarge ; as, a little body; a little animal; a little piece of ground; a little hill; a little distance; a little child. [1913 Webster]"He sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature." [1913 Webster] - Short in duration; brief; as, a little sleep. [1913 Webster]"Best him enough: after a little time,
I'll beat him too." [1913 Webster] - Small in quantity or amount; not much; as, a little food; a little air or water. [1913 Webster]"Conceited of their little wisdoms, and doting upon their own fancies." [1913 Webster]
- Small in dignity, power, or importance; not great; insignificant; contemptible. [1913 Webster]"When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes?" [1913 Webster]
- Small in force or efficiency; not strong; weak; slight; inconsiderable; as, little attention or exertion;little effort; little care or diligence. [1913 Webster]"By sad experiment I know
How little weight my words with thee can find." [1913 Webster] - Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous. [1913 Webster]"The long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise,
Because their natures are little." [1913 Webster]"The men, and the women, and the little ones." [1913 Webster]
little, n.
- That which is little; a small quantity, amount, space, or the like. [1913 Webster]"Much was in little writ." [1913 Webster]"There are many expressions, which carrying with them no clear ideas, are like to remove but little of my ignorance." [1913 Webster]
- A small degree or scale; miniature. Shak. [1913 Webster]"A little, to or in a small degree; to a limited extent; somewhat; for a short time. “ Stay a little.”" Shak. [1913 Webster]"The painter flattered her a little."
little, adv.
In a small quantity or degree; not much; slightly; somewhat; -- often with a preceding it. Otway. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
little, adj., n., & adv.
--adj. (littler, littlest; less or lesser; least)
1 small in size, amount, degree, etc.; not great or big: often used to convey affectionate or emotional overtones, or condescension, not implied by small (a friendly little chap; a silly little fool; a nice little car).
2 a short in stature (a little man). b of short distance or duration (will go a little way with you; wait a little while).
3 (prec. by a) a certain though small amount of (give me a little butter).
4 trivial; relatively unimportant (exaggerates every little difficulty).
5 not much; inconsiderable (gained little advantage from it).
6 operating on a small scale (the little shopkeeper).
7 as a distinctive epithet: a of a smaller or the smallest size etc. (little finger). b that is the smaller or smallest of the name (little auk; little grebe).
8 young or younger (a little boy; my little sister).
9 as of a child, evoking tenderness, condescension, amusement, etc. (we know their little ways).
10 mean, paltry, contemptible (you little sneak).
--n.
1 not much; only a small amount (got very little out of it; did what little I could).
2 (usu. prec. by a) a a certain but no great amount (knows a little of everything; every little helps). b a short time or distance (after a little).
--adv. (less, least)
1 to a small extent only (little-known authors; is little more than speculation).
2 not at all; hardly (they little thought).
3 (prec. by a) somewhat (is a little deaf).
--adj. (littler, littlest; less or lesser; least)
1 small in size, amount, degree, etc.; not great or big: often used to convey affectionate or emotional overtones, or condescension, not implied by small (a friendly little chap; a silly little fool; a nice little car).
2 a short in stature (a little man). b of short distance or duration (will go a little way with you; wait a little while).
3 (prec. by a) a certain though small amount of (give me a little butter).
4 trivial; relatively unimportant (exaggerates every little difficulty).
5 not much; inconsiderable (gained little advantage from it).
6 operating on a small scale (the little shopkeeper).
7 as a distinctive epithet: a of a smaller or the smallest size etc. (little finger). b that is the smaller or smallest of the name (little auk; little grebe).
8 young or younger (a little boy; my little sister).
9 as of a child, evoking tenderness, condescension, amusement, etc. (we know their little ways).
10 mean, paltry, contemptible (you little sneak).
--n.
1 not much; only a small amount (got very little out of it; did what little I could).
2 (usu. prec. by a) a a certain but no great amount (knows a little of everything; every little helps). b a short time or distance (after a little).
--adv. (less, least)
1 to a small extent only (little-known authors; is little more than speculation).
2 not at all; hardly (they little thought).
3 (prec. by a) somewhat (is a little deaf).
Idiom
in little on a small scale. the Little Bear see BEAR(2). little by little by degrees; gradually. little end the smaller end of a connecting-rod, attached to the piston. little finger the smallest finger, at the outer end of the hand. little man esp. joc. (as a form of address) a boy. little ones young children or animals. little or nothing hardly anything. the little people fairies. Little Russian hist. n. a Ukrainian.
--adj. Ukrainian. little slam Bridge the winning of 12 tricks. the little woman colloq. often derog. one's wife. no little considerable, a good deal of (took no little trouble over it). not a little n. much; a great deal.
--adv. extremely (not a little concerned).
--adj. Ukrainian. little slam Bridge the winning of 12 tricks. the little woman colloq. often derog. one's wife. no little considerable, a good deal of (took no little trouble over it). not a little n. much; a great deal.
--adv. extremely (not a little concerned).
Derivative
littleness n.
Etymology
OE lytel f. Gmc
THESAURUS
little
Lilliputian, a bit, a breath, a little, abject, abominable, ace, arrant, atom, atrocious, authoritarian, baby, back-burner, bantam, barely, base, beggarly, bigot, bigoted, bit, borne, bowshot, brief, brief span, by a hair, by an ace, casual, cheap, cheesy, close quarters, close range, closed, collateral, compact, compendious, concise, constricted, contemptible, crack, cramped, creedbound, crumb, crummy, cursory, curt, curtal, curtate, dab, deaf, deaf to reason, debased, decurtate, deficient, degraded, depraved, depthless, despicable, diminutive, dinky, dirty, disgusting, dispensable, dole, dollop, dot, dram, dribble, driblet, dwarf, earreach, earshot, elfin, ever so little, execrable, exiguous, exiguously, faintly, fanatical, farthing, feebly, few, flagrant, fleck, flyspeck, footling, fortuitous, foul, fragment, fulsome, gobbet, grain, granule, grave, groat, gross, gunshot, hair, hair space, hairbreadth, hairsbreadth, half-pint, handful, hardly, hardly any, hardly ever, heinous, hidebound, illiberal, immaterial, imperfect, imperfectly, in a nutshell, in miniature, in the small, inadequate, inappreciable, inappreciably, inch, incidental, incompetent, inconsequential, inconsequentially, inconsiderable, ineffectual, inessential, inferior, infinitesimal, infrequently, insignificant, insignificantly, instant, instantaneous, insufficient, insular, iota, irrelevant, itsy-bitsy, itty-bitty, jot, just a bit, knee-high, light, lightly, limited, little bit, little ways, little while, little-minded, low, low-down, lumpen, maladroit, mangy, meager, meagerly, mean, mean-minded, mean-spirited, measly, mediocre, microscopic, midget, mingy, mini, miniature, minim, minimally, minimum, minor, minuscule, minute, minutely, minutiae, miserable, mite, modicum, molecule, moment, monkey, monstrous, mote, narrow, narrow-hearted, narrow-minded, narrow-souled, narrow-spirited, nearsighted, nefarious, negligible, negligibly, niggard, niggardly, no, no great shakes, no time, nonessential, not any, not comparable, not enough, not hardly, not in it, not much, not vital, nutshell, obnoxious, odious, one-horse, only just, ounce, out of it, pair of winks, paltry, parochial, particle, pebble, petit, petite, petty, picayune, picayunish, piddling, pinch, pindling, pint-sized, pistol shot, pittance, point, poky, poor, potty, provincial, puny, purblind, pygmy, rank, rarely, reptilian, scabby, scant, scantily, scanty, scarcely, scrap, scrubby, scruffy, scruple, scummy, scurvy, secondary, seldom, self-centered, selfish, set, shabby, shallow, shoddy, shoestring, short, short and sweet, short distance, short piece, short spell, short time, short way, shortsighted, skimpy, skin-deep, slight, slightly, small, small space, small-beer, small-minded, smallish, smally, smidgen, smidgin, smitch, span, sparse, speck, spitting distance, spoonful, spot, spurt, squalid, step, stingy, straitlaced, stuffy, subordinate, subsidiary, succinct, summary, superficial, synoptic, tant soit peu, taste, technical, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, thimbleful, tiny, tiny bit, tittle, toy, transient, trifling, trifling amount, triflingly, trivia, trivial, two shakes, two-by-four, uncatholic, uncharitable, unchivalrous, undersized, unessential, unfrequently, ungenerous, unimaginative, unimportant, unimpressive, unliberal, unmentionable, unnoteworthy, unoften, unskillful, vile, weakly, wee, whit, wretched, young, youthfulROGET THESAURUS
little
Smallness
N smallness, littleness, tenuity, paucity, fewness, meanness, insignificance (unimportance), mediocrity, moderation, small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum, vanishing point, material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace, minutiae, details, look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight, whit, tittle, shade, shadow, spark, scintilla, gleam, touch, cast, grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau, screed, smack, tinge, tincture, inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet, flitter, gobbet, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive, snip, snippet, snick, snack, snatch, slip, scrag, chip, chipping, shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair, nutshell, thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful, fragment, fraction, drop in the ocean, animalcule, trifle, mere nothing, next to nothing, hardly anything, just enough to swear by, the shadow of a shade, finiteness, finite quantity, small, little, diminutive, minute, fine, inconsiderable, paltry, faint, slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited, meager, sparing, few, low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes, below par, under par, below the mark, at a low ebb, halfway, moderate, modest, tender, subtle, inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small, atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic, mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare, near run, dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent, to a small extent, on a small scale, a little bit, a wee bit, slightly, imperceptibly, miserably, wretchedly, insufficiently, imperfectly, faintly, passably, pretty well, well enough, partially, in part, in a certain degree, to a certain degree, to a certain extent, comparatively, some, rather in some degree, in some measure, something, somewhat, simply, only, purely, merely, at least, at the least, at most, at the most, ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree, thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak, almost, nearly, well-nigh, short of, not quite, all but, near upon, close upon, peu s'en faut, near the mark, within an ace of, within an inch of, on the brink of, scarcely, hardly, barely, only just, no more than, about, thereabouts, somewhere about, nearly, say, be the same, be little more or less, no ways, no way, no wise, not at all, not in the least, not a bit, not a bit of it, not a whit, not a jot, not a shadow, in no wise, in no respect, by no means, by no manner of means, on no account, at no hand, dare pondus idonea fumo, magno conatu magnas nugas, small sands the mountain, moments make the year.Littleness
N littleness, smallness, exiguity, inextension, parvitude, parvity, duodecimo, Elzevir edition, epitome, microcosm, rudiment, vanishing point, thinness, dwarf, pygmy, pigmy, Liliputian, chit, pigwidgeon, urchin, elf, atomy, dandiprat, doll, puppet, Tom Thumb, Hop-o'-my-thumb, manikin, mannikin, homunculus, dapperling, cock-sparrow, animalcule, monad, mite, insect, emmet, fly, midge, gnat, shrimp, minnow, worm, maggot, entozoon, bacteria, infusoria, microzoa, phytozoaria, microbe, grub, tit, tomtit, runt, mouse, small fry, millet seed, mustard seed, barleycorn, pebble, grain of sand, molehill, button, bubble, point, atom, fragment, powder, point of a pin, mathematical point, minutiae, micrometer, vernier, scale, microphotography, photomicrography, micrography, photomicrograph, microphotograph, microscopy, microscope (optical instruments), little, small, minute, diminutive, microscopic, microzoal, inconsiderable, exiguous, puny, tiny, wee, petty, minikin, miniature, pygmy, pigmy, elfin, undersized, dwarf, dwarfed, dwarfish, spare, stunted, limited, cramp, cramped, pollard, Liliputian, dapper, pocket, portative, portable, duodecimo, dumpy, squat, short, impalpable, intangible, evanescent, imperceptible, invisible, inappreciable, insignificant, inconsiderable, trivial, infinitesimal, homoeopathic, atomic, subatomic, corpuscular, molecular, rudimentary, rudimental, embryonic, vestigial, weazen, scant, scraggy, scrubby, thin, granular, shrunk, brevipennate, in a small compass, in a nutshell, on a small scale, minutely, microscopically.Shortness
N shortness, brevity, littleness, a span, shortening, abbreviation, abbreviature, abridgment, concision, retrenchment, curtailment, decurtation, reduction, epitome, elision, ellipsis, conciseness, abridger, epitomist, epitomizer, short, brief, curt, compendious, compact, stubby, scrimp, shorn, stubbed, stumpy, thickset, pug, chunky, decurtate, retrousse, stocky, squab, squabby, squat, dumpy, little, curtailed of its fair proportions, short by, oblate, concise, summary, shortly, in short.Love
N love, fondness, liking, inclination, regard, dilection, admiration, fancy, affection, sympathy, fellow-feeling, tenderness, heart, brotherly love, benevolence, attachment, yearning, eros, tender passion, amour, gyneolatry, gallantry, passion, flame, devotion, fervor, enthusiasm, transport of love, rapture, enchantment, infatuation, adoration, idolatry, Cupid, Venus, myrtle, true lover's knot, love token, love suit, love affair, love tale, love story, the, old story, plighted love, courtship, amourette, free love, maternal love, storge, parental love, young love, puppy love, attractiveness, popularity, favorite, lover, suitor, follower, admirer, adorer, wooer, amoret, beau, sweetheart, inamorato, swain, young man, flame, love, truelove, leman, Lothario, gallant, paramour, amoroso, cavaliere servente, captive, cicisbeo, caro sposo, inamorata, ladylove, idol, darling, duck, Dulcinea, angel, goddess, cara sposa, betrothed, affianced, fiancee, flirt, coquette, amorette, pair of turtledoves, abode of love, agapemone, loving, fond of, taken with, struck with, smitten, bitten, attached to, wedded to, enamored, charmed, in love, love-sick, over head and ears in love, head over heels in love, affectionate, tender, sweet upon, sympathetic, loving, amorous, amatory, fond, erotic, uxorious, ardent, passionate, rapturous, devoted, motherly, loved, beloved well beloved, dearly beloved, dear, precious, darling, pet, little, favorite, popular, congenial, after one's mind, after one's taste, after one's fancy, after one's own heart, to one's mind, to one's taste, to one's fancy, to one's own heart, in one's good graces, dear as the apple of one's eye, nearest to one's heart, lovable, adorable, lovely, sweet, attractive, seductive, winning, charming, engaging, interesting, enchanting, captivating, fascinating, bewitching, amiable, like an angel, amantes amentes, credula res amor est, militat omnis amasius, love conquers all, omnia vincit amor, si vis amari ama, the sweetest joy, the wildest woe.Improbity
N improbity, dishonesty, dishonor, deviation from rectitude, disgrace, fraud, lying, bad faith, Punic faith, mala fides, Punica fides, infidelity, faithlessness, Judas kiss, betrayal, breach of promise, breach of trust, breach of faith, prodition, disloyalty, treason, high treason, apostasy, nonobservance, shabbiness, villainy, villany, baseness, abjection, debasement, turpitude, moral turpitude, laxity, trimming, shuffling, perfidy, perfidiousness, treachery, double dealing, unfairness, knavery, roguery, rascality, foul play, jobbing, jobbery, graft, bribery, venality, nepotism, corruption, job, shuffle, fishy transaction, barratry, sharp practice, heads I win tails you lose, mouth honor, dishonest, dishonorable, unconscientious, unscrupulous, fraudulent, knavish, disgraceful, wicked, false-hearted, disingenuous, unfair, one-sided, double, double- hearted, double-tongued, double-faced, timeserving, crooked, tortuous, insidious, Machiavelian, dark, slippery, fishy, perfidious, treacherous, perjured, infamous, arrant, foul, base, vile, ignominious, blackguard, contemptible, unrespectable, abject, mean, shabby, little, paltry, dirty, scurvy, scabby, sneaking, groveling, scrubby, rascally, pettifogging, beneath one, low-minded, low-thoughted, base-minded, undignified, indign, unbecoming, unbeseeming, unbefitting, derogatory, degrading, infra dignitatem, beneath one's dignity, ungentlemanly, ungentlemanlike, unknightly, unchivalric, unmanly, unhandsome, recreant, inglorious, corrupt, venal, debased, mongrel, faithless, of bad faith, false, unfaithful, disloyal, untrustworthy, trustless, trothless, lost to shame, dead to honor, barratrous, dishonestly, mala fide, like a thief in the night, by crooked paths, Int, O tempora!, O mores!, corruptissima respublica plurimae leges.For further exploring for "little" in Webster Dictionary Online
