Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Small

Small

(sma̤l)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Smaller
(sma̤l′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Smallest
.]
[OE.
small
, AS.
smael
; akin to D.
smal
narrow, OS. & OHG.
smal
small, G.
schmal
narrow, Dan. & Sw.
smal
, Goth.
smals
small, Icel.
smali
small cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr.
μῆλον
a sheep or goat.]
1.
Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable;
as, a
small
man; a
small
river
.
To compare
Great things with
small
.
Milton.
2.
Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant;
as, a
small
fault; a
small
business
.
3.
Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; – sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean.
A true delineation of the
smallest
man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
Carlyle.
4.
Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short;
as, after a
small
space
.
Shak.
5.
Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud.
“A still, small voice.”
1 Kings xix. 12.
Great and small
,
of all ranks or degrees; – used especially of persons.
“His quests, great and small.”
Chaucer.
–
Small arms
,
muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction from cannon.
–
Small beer
.
See under
Beer
.
–
Small coal
.
(a)
Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires
.
Gay.
(b)
Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from the coarser parts by screening.
–
Small craft
(Naut.)
,
a vessel, or vessels in general, of a small size.
–
Small fruits
.
See under
Fruit
.
–
Small hand
,
a certain size of paper. See under
Paper
.
–
Small hours
.
See under
Hour
.
–
Small letter
.
(Print.)
,
a lower-case letter. See
Lower-case
, and
Capital letter
, under
Capital
,
Adj.
–
Small piece
,
a Scotch coin worth about 2¼d. sterling, or about 4½cents.
–
Small register
.
See the Note under 1st
Register
, 7.
–
Small stuff
(Naut.)
,
spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kinds of rope.
R. H. Dana, Jr.
–
Small talk
,
light or trifling conversation; chitchat.
–
Small wares
(Com.)
,
various small textile articles, as tapes, braid, tringe, and the like.
M‘Culloch.

Small

,
adv.
1.
In or to small extent, quantity, or degree; little; slightly.
[Obs.]
“I wept but small.”
Chaucer.
“It small avails my mood.”
Shak.
2.
Not loudly; faintly; timidly.
[Obs. or Humorous]
You may speak as
small
as you will.
Shakespeare

Small

,
Noun.
1.
The small or slender part of a thing;
as, the
small
of the leg or of the back
.
2.
pl.
Smallclothes.
[Colloq.]
Hood. Dickens.
3.
pl.
Same as
Little go
. See under
Little
,
Adj.

Small

,
Verb.
T.
To make little or less.
[Obs.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Small

SMALL

,
Adj.
1.
Slender; thin; fine; of little diameter; hence in general, litte in size or quantity; not great; as a small house; a small horse; a small farm; a small body; small particles.
2.
Minute; slender; fine; as a small voice.
3.
Little in degree; as small improvement; small acquirements; the trouble is small. Ther arose no small stir about that way. Acts 9.
4.
Being of little moment, weight or importance; as, it is a small matter or thing; a small subject.
5.
Of little genius or ability; petty; as a small poet or musician.
6.
Short; containing little; as a small essay.
7.
Little in amount; as a small sum; a small price.
8.
Containing little of the principal quality, or little strenghth; weak; as small beer.
9.
Gentle; soft; not loud. I Kings 19.
10.
Mean; base; unworthy.

SMALL

,
Noun.
The small or slender part of a thing; as the small of the leg or of the back.

SMALL

,
Verb.
T.
To make little or less. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024

Small

Small

See also: small and smäll

English

Alternative forms

  • Smale, Smales, Smalles, Smalls

Proper noun

Small

  1. A surname​.

References

  • P.H. Reaney (author) and R.M. Wilson (editor), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed., 1991; e-book ed., 2006), ISBN 0203993551 (Master e-book), page 2,888

small

small

See also: Small and smäll

English

Adjective

small ‎(comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

  1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size.
    • 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.‎
  2. (figuratively) Young, as a child.
    Remember when the children were small?‎
  3. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written letters.
  4. 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.
  5. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
    a small space of time

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

small ‎(comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

  1. In a small fashion.
  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.
    • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare, Sonnets, "Lucrece", line 1273
      It small avails my mood.

Derived terms

  • writ small

Noun

small ‎(plural smalls)

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

Derived terms

Verb

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.
    • Thomas Hardy
      And smalled till she was nought at all.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: country · course · side · #222: small · cannot · father · nor

Anagrams

Icelandic

Verb

small (strong)

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

Low German

Etymology

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

Adjective

small ‎(comparative smaller, superlative smallst)

  1. narrow
  2. small, slender

Declension

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

Swedish

Verb

small

  1. past tense of smälla.

Etymology

Attested from the thirteenth century. From the Old English smæl ‎(“small”). Compare Smail.

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