small

English

Etymology

From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ма́лый (mályj, “small”).

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /smɔːl/ [smoːɫ]

  • Audio (UK): [smoːw]

    (file)

• Audio

  (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɔːl
• (US)
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /smɔl/
  • (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /smɑl/

  • Audio (US): [smɑɫ]

    (file)

• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /smoːl/

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.

   Synonyms: little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny

   Antonyms: big, (said of an amount of something given) generous, large; see also Thesaurus:large

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     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.

   1. Humiliated or insignificant.

      The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.

      • 2015, Justin Bieber, Love Yourself:

        For all the times that you made me feel small / I fell in love, now I feel nothing at all

   2. Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.

      Synonyms: little, under-endowed (of genitals)

      Though over six feet tall, the man was very small and ashamed to undress.

   • Large definition

     Of considerable or relatively great size or extent. (1 of 7 large definitions)

   • Big definition

     Of great size, large. (1 of 17 big definitions)

   • Insignificant definition

     Not significant; not important, inconsequential, or having no noticeable effect. (1 of 2 insignificant definitions)

   • Few definition

     An indefinite, but usually small, number of. (1 of 4 few definitions)

   • Number definition

     An abstract entity used to describe quantity. (1 of 16 number definitions)

   • Little definition

     Small in size. (1 of 12 little definitions)

   • Microscopic definition

     Of, or relating to microscopes or microscopy; microscopal (1 of 5 microscopic definitions)

   • Minuscule definition

     A lowercase letter. (1 of 3 minuscule definitions)

   • Minute definition

     A unit of time equal to sixty seconds (one-sixtieth of an hour). (1 of 11 minute definitions)

   • Tiny definition

     Very small.

   • Generous definition

     Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous. (1 of 5 generous definitions)

   • Humiliated definition

     simple past and past participle of humiliate

   • Penis definition

     The male reproductive organ used for sexual intercourse that in the human male and some other mammals is also used for urination; the tubular portion of the male genitalia (excluding the scrotum).

   • Muscles definition

     plural of muscle

   • Under-Endowed definition

     Alternative form of underendowed.
2. (figuratively, incomparable) Young, as a child.

   Synonyms: little, (Scottish) wee, young

   Antonyms: adult, grown-up, old

   Remember when the children were small?

   • Young definition

     In the early part of growth or life; born not long ago. (1 of 8 young definitions)

   • Child definition

     (1 of 18 child definitions)

   • Wee definition

     Small, little.

   • Adult definition

     A fully grown human or animal. (1 of 2 adult definitions)

   • Grown-Up definition

     Adult, physically mature. (1 of 3 grown-up definitions)

   • Old definition

     Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. (1 of 17 old definitions)
3. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.

   Synonyms: lowercase, minuscule

   Antonyms: big, capital, majuscule, uppercase

   • 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 584:

     "I've got catholic tastes. Catholic with a small "c", of course."

   • Writing definition

     Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning. (1 of 6 writing definitions)

   • Lowercase definition

     Alternative spelling of lower case

   • Letter definition

     A symbol in an alphabet. (1 of 9 letter definitions)

   • Capital definition

     Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures). (1 of 8 capital definitions)

   • Majuscule definition

     A capital letter, especially one used in ancient manuscripts. (1 of 2 majuscule definitions)

   • Uppercase definition

     written in upper case; capital
4. Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
   • 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling:

     A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

   • Worth definition

     Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. (1 of 4 worth definitions)

   • Ability definition

     Suitableness. (1 of 7 ability definitions)

   • Minded definition

     Having or exemplifying a mind of the stated type, nature or inclination. (1 of 2 minded definitions)

   • Paltry definition

     Trashy, trivial, of little value. (1 of 3 paltry definitions)

   • Mean definition

     To intend.

     1. To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention. (1 of 12 mean definitions)
5. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.

   a small space of time

6. Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”)

   small science

   • Small Science definition

     Traditional scientific research that is conducted by individual researchers or small teams and funded by academic or scientific institutions.
7. (archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.
8. (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).

   I'll have a small coffee, thanks.

   • Clothing definition

     present participle and gerund of clothe

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. In a small fashion

   Don't write very small!

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.
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC, line 1273:

     It small avails my mood.

4. (obsolete) In a low tone; softly.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], line 49:

     That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will.

Derived terms

• writ small

Noun

small (countable and uncountable, plural smalls) (nominalized)

1. (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured.

   Synonym: S

   • Size definition

     An assize. (1 of 9 size definitions)

   • S definition

     The nineteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
2. (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.

   Two smalls and a large, please.

3. (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
4. (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

   • Smaller definition

     comparative form of small: more small

   • Back definition

     At or near the rear. (1 of 8 back definitions)

Derived terms

• small of the back

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.

   • Make definition

     To create.

     1. To build, construct, produce, or originate. (1 of 41 make definitions)

   • Less definition

     comparative degree of little (1 of 3 less definitions)
2. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.
   • 1917, Thomas Hardy, The Clock of the Years:

     And smalled till she was nought at all.

   • Become definition

     begin to be; turn into. (1 of 6 become definitions)

   • Dwindle definition

     To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity. (1 of 4 dwindle definitions)

   • Till definition

     Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). (1 of 4 till definitions)

   • Nought definition

     Nothing; something which does not exist. (1 of 4 nought definitions)

Anagrams

• malls

Icelandic

Verb

small (strong)

1. first-person singular past indicative of smella

   • Smella definition

     to crack
2. third-person singular past indicative of smella

Low German

Etymology

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

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)

1. narrow

   • Narrow definition

     Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth. (1 of 9 narrow definitions)
2. small, slender

   • Slender definition

     Thin; slim. (1 of 3 slender definitions)

Declension