small

[smawl] /smɔl/
adjective, smaller, smallest.
1.
of limited size; of comparatively restricted dimensions; not big; little:
a small box.
2.
slender, thin, or narrow:
a small waist.
3.
not large as compared with others of the same kind:
a small elephant.
4.
(of letters) lower-case (def 1).
5.
not great in amount, degree, extent, duration, value, etc.:
a small salary.
6.
not great numerically:
a small army.
7.
of low numerical value; denoted by a low number.
8.
having but little land, capital, power, influence, etc., or carrying on business or some activity on a limited scale:
a small enterprise.
9.
of minor importance, moment, weight, or consequence:
a small problem.
10.
humble, modest, or unpretentious:
small circumstances.
11.
characterized by or indicative of littleness of mind or character; mean-spirited; petty:
a small, miserly man.
12.
of little strength or force:
a small effort.
13.
(of sound or the voice) gentle; with little volume.
14.
very young:
when I was a small boy.
15.
diluted; weak.
adverb, smaller, smallest.
16.
in a small manner:
They talked big but lived small.
17.
into small pieces:
Slice the cake small.
18.
in low tones; softly.
noun
19.
something that is small:
Do you prefer the small or the large?
20.
a small or narrow part, as of the back.
21.
those who are small:
Democracy benefits the great and the small.
22.
smalls, small goods or products.
23.
smalls, British.
  1. underclothes.
  2. household linen, as napkins, pillowcases, etc.
24.
smalls, British Informal. the responsions at Oxford University.
25.
smalls, Mining. coal, ore, gangue, etc., in fine particles.
Idioms
26.
feel small, to be ashamed or mortified:
Her unselfishness made me feel small.
Origin
before 900; Middle English smale (adj., noun, and adv.), Old English smæl; cognate with Dutch smal, German schmal
Related forms
smallness, noun
ultrasmall, adjective
Synonyms
1. tiny. See little. 2. slight. 1, 3, 5. Smaller, less indicate a diminution, or not so large a size or quantity in some respect. Smaller, as applied to concrete objects, is used with reference to size: smaller apples. Less is used of material in bulk, with reference to amount, and in cases where attributes such as value and degree are in question: A nickel is less than a dime (in value). A sergeant is less than a lieutenant (in rank). As an abstraction, amount may be either smaller or less, though smaller is usually used when the idea of size is suggested: a smaller opportunity. Less is used when the idea of quantity is present: less courage. 9. trifling, petty, unimportant, minor, secondary, nugatory, inconsequential, paltry, insignificant. 11. small-minded, narrow-minded, mean, selfish, narrow. 12. feeble.
Antonyms
1. large, big.
Examples from the web for small
  • Due to their small size a whole colony can inhabit one hollow acorn.
  • Many small-business owners report a sense of isolation.
  • Since incubators have been so much used for hatching chickens, small birds suitable for broiling may be always found in market.
  • No beginnings of things however small are to be neglected because continuance makes them great.
  • Debt hath a small beginning but a giant's growth and strength.
  • She brought out of a corner split sticks and dry branches, broke them up, and placed them under the small kettle.
  • The next morning she stated that she had dreamt that the bed was much too small for her, so that she could find no place in it.
  • The long, irregular-shaped pieces may be rolled, and fastened with small wooden skewers.
  • Cut some of the fat in small pieces and try out in frying-pan.
  • Make a cut at small end of each cutlet, and insert in each the tip end of a small claw.
British Dictionary definitions for small

small

/smɔːl/
adjective
1.
comparatively little; limited in size, number, importance, etc
2.
of little importance or on a minor scale: a small business
3.
lacking in moral or mental breadth or depth: a small mind
4.
modest or humble: small beginnings
5.
of low or inferior status, esp socially
6.
(of a child or animal) young; not mature
7.
unimportant, trivial: a small matter
8.
not outstanding: a small actor
9.
of, relating to, or designating the ordinary modern minuscule letter used in printing and cursive writing Compare capital1 (sense 13) See also lower case
10.
lacking great strength or force: a small effort
11.
in fine particles: small gravel
12.
(obsolete) (of beer, etc) of low alcoholic strength
adverb
13.
into small pieces: you have to cut it small
14.
in a small or soft manner
15.
feel small, to be humiliated or inferior
noun
16.
the small, an object, person, or group considered to be small: do you want the small or the large?
17.
a small slender part, esp of the back
18.
(pl) (informal, mainly Brit) items of personal laundry, such as underwear
Derived Forms
smallish, adjective
smallness, noun
Word Origin
Old English smæl; related to Old High German smal, Old Norse smali small cattle
Word Origin and History for small
adj.

Old English smæl "thin, slender, narrow; fine," from Proto-Germanic *smal- "small animal; small" (cf. Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Middle Dutch, Dutch, Old High German smal, Old Frisian smel, German schmal "narrow, slender," Gothic smalista "smallest," Old Norse smali "small cattle, sheep"), perhaps from a PIE root *(s)melo- "smaller animal" (cf. Greek melon, Old Irish mil "a small animal;" Old Church Slavonic malu "bad"). Original sense of "narrow" now almost obsolete, except in reference to waistline and intestines.

My sister ... is as white as a lilly, and as small as a wand. [Shakespeare, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1591]
Sense of "not large, of little size" developed in Old English. Of children, "young," from mid-13c. Meaning "inferior in degree or amount" is from late 13c. Meaning "trivial, unimportant" is from mid-14c. Sense of "having little property or trade" is from 1746. That of "characterized by littleness of mind or spirit, base, low, mean" is from 1824. As an adverb by late 14c.

Small fry, first recorded 1690s of little fish, 1885 of insignificant people. Small potatoes "no great matter" first attested 1924; small change "something of little value" is from 1902; small talk "chit-chat, trifling conversation" (1751) first recorded in Chesterfield's "Letters." Small world as a comment upon an unexpected meeting of acquaintances is recorded from 1895. Small-arms, indicating those capable of being carried in the hand (contrasted to ordnance) is recorded from 1710.

n.

early 13c., "small person or animal," from small (adj.). From c.1300 as "persons of low rank" (opposed to great); late 15c. as "the small part" of something (e.g. small of the back, 1530s).

small in Technology


1. Functional, lazy, untyped.
["SMALL - A Small Interactive Functional System", L. Augustsson, TR 28, U Goteborg and Chalmers U, 1986].
2. A toy language used to illustrate denotational semantics.
["The Denotational Description of Programming Languages", M.J.C. Gordon, Springer 1979].

Idioms and Phrases with small

small

also see: