little
- 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).
Phrases and idioms:
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).
Derivatives:
littleness n.
Etymology: OE lytel f. Gmc
Useful english dictionary.
2012.
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Look at other dictionaries:
Little — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Andrew Little (* 1989), nordirischer Fußballspieler Booker Little (1938–1961), US amerikanischer Jazztrompeter Brian R. Little, kanadischer Professor für Psychologie Bryan Little (* 1987), kanadischer… … Deutsch Wikipedia
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Little go — Little Lit tle (l[i^]t t l), a. [The regular comparative and superlative of this word, littler and littlest, are often used as comparatives of the sense small; but in the sense few, less, or, rarely, lesser is the proper comparative and least is… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Little 15 — «Little 15» Sencillo de Depeche Mode del álbum Music for the Masses Lado B Stjarna y la Sonata no. 14 Formato Disco de vinilo de 7 y 12 CD desde 1991 Grabación 1987 … Wikipedia Español
little — [lit′ l] adj. littler or less or lesser, littlest or least [ME littel < OE lytel (akin to Ger dial. lützel) < base of lyt, small (< IE base * leud , to stoop > Welsh lludded, fatigue), infl. by ON litill, small (akin to Goth leitils)… … English World dictionary
Little 15 — Single par Depeche Mode extrait de l’album Music for the Masses Face A Little 15 Face B Stjärna Sortie 16 mai 1988 Enregistremen … Wikipédia en Français
Little — Lit tle, n. 1. That which is little; a small quantity, amount, space, or the like. [1913 Webster] Much was in little writ. Dryden. [1913 Webster] There are many expressions, which carrying with them no clear ideas, are like to remove but little… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Little My — (Swedish: Lilla My , Finnish: Pikku Myy ) is a character in the Moomin series of books by Tove Jansson. She first appears in the fourth book, The Exploits of Moominpappa. She is a small, determined and fiercely independent Mymble. When she wants… … Wikipedia
little — ► ADJECTIVE 1) small in size, amount, or degree. 2) (of a person) young or younger. 3) of short distance or duration. 4) trivial, unimportant, or humble. ► DETERMINER & PRONOUN 1) (a little) a small amount of … English terms dictionary
Little X — Little X, (born Julien Christian Lutz in 1975), is a Canadian music video director of Trinidadian heritage.His mother, a Trinidadian and his father of Swiss descent.He has two sisters and ten aunts on his mom s side. A protégé of Hype Williams,… … Wikipedia
little — [adj1] small in size, amount babyish, bantam, brief, cramped, diminutive, dinky, elfin, embryonic, fleeting, hardly any, hasty, immature, imperceptible, inappreciable, inconsiderable, infant, infinitesimal, insufficient, junior, light,… … New thesaurus
