small

small
adj., n., & adv.
—adj.
1 not large or big.
2 slender; thin.
3 not great in importance, amount, number, strength, or power.
4 not much; trifling (a small token; paid small attention).
5 insignificant; unimportant (a small matter; from small beginnings).
6 consisting of small particles (small gravel; small shot).
7 doing something on a small scale (a small farmer).
8 socially undistinguished; poor or humble.
9 petty; mean; ungenerous; paltry (a small spiteful nature).
10 young; not fully grown or developed (a small child).
—n.
1 the slenderest part of something (esp. small of the back).
2 (in pl.) Brit. colloq. small items of laundry, esp. underwear.
—adv. into small pieces (chop it small).
Phrases and idioms:
feel (or look) small be humiliated; appear mean or humiliated. in a small way unambitiously; on a small scale. no small considerable; a good deal of (no small excitement about it). small arms portable firearms, esp. rifles, pistols, light machine-guns, sub-machine-guns, etc. small beer
1 a trifling matter; something unimportant.
2 weak beer. small-bore (of a firearm) with a narrow bore, in international and Olympic shooting usu. .22 inch calibre (5.6 millimetre bore). small capital a capital letter which is of the same dimensions as the lower-case letters in the same typeface minus ascenders and descenders, as THIS.
small change
1 money in the form of coins as opposed to notes.
2 trivial remarks. small circle see CIRCLE. small claims court Brit. a local tribunal in which claims for small amounts can be heard and decided quickly and cheaply without legal representation. small craft a general term for small boats and fishing vessels.
small fry
1 young children or the young of various species.
2 small or insignificant things or people. small hours the early hours of the morning after midnight. small intestine see INTESTINE. small letter (in printed material) a lower-case letter. small mercy a minor concession, benefit, etc. (be grateful for small mercies). small potatoes an insignificant person or thing.
small print
1 printed matter in small type.
2 inconspicuous and usu. unfavourable limitations etc. in a contract. small profits and quick returns the policy of a cheap shop etc. relying on large trade. small-scale made or occurring in small amounts or to a lesser degree. small slam see SLAM(2). small-sword a light tapering thrusting-sword, esp. hist. for duelling. small talk light social conversation. small-time colloq. unimportant or petty. small-timer colloq. a small-time operator; an insignificant person. small-town relating to or characteristic of a small town; unsophisticated; provincial. small wonder not very surprising.
Derivatives:
smallish adj. smallness n.
Etymology: OE smaeligl f. Gmc

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • Small — (sm[add]l), a. [Compar. {Smaller}; superl. {Smallest}.] [OE. small, AS. sm[ae]l; akin to D. smal narrow, OS. & OHG. smal small, G. schmal narrow, Dan. & Sw. smal, Goth. smals small, Icel. smali smal cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr. mh^lon a sheep …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • small — [smôl] adj. [ME smal, narrow, slender < OE smæl, akin to Ger schmal, narrow < IE base * (s)mēlo , smaller animal: see MAL ] 1. little in size, esp. when compared with others of the same kind; not large or big; limited in size 2. a) little… …   English World dictionary

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  • small — O.E. smæl slender, narrow, small, from P.Gmc. *smalaz (Cf. O.S., Dan., Swed., M.Du., Du., O.H.G. smal, O.Fris. smel, Ger. schmal narrow, Goth. smalista smallest, O.N. smali small cattle, sheep ), perhaps from a PIE root * (s)melo smaller animal …   Etymology dictionary

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  • small — 〈[smɔ:l] Abk.: S〉 klein (als Kleidergröße) [engl.] * * * small [smɔ:l ] <indekl. Adj.> [engl. small = klein]: klein (als Kleidergröße; Abk.: S). * * * Small   [smɔːl],    1) Adam, südafrikanischer Schriftsteller, * Wellington ( …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Small — 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. [1913 Webster] 2. Not loudly; faintly; timidly. [Obs. or Humorous] [1913 Webster] You may speak as small …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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