little
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
See also a little
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Old English lȳtel, from West Germanic *lutila-. Cognate with Dutch luttel, German lützel, West Frisian lyts, L.G. lütt, O.H.G. luzzil, M.H.G. lützel, O.E. lūtan (“‘to bow, bend low’”); and perh. to O.E. lytig "deceitful, lot deceit", Goth. liuts deceitful, lutjan "to deceive"; cf. also Icel. lítill "little", Sw. liten, Dan. liden, lille, Goth. leitils, which appear to have a different root vowel. More at lout
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
little (comparative less, lesser or littler, superlative least or littlest)
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Positive |
Comparative |
- Small.
- This is a little table.
- It's of little importance.
- Very young.
- Did he tell you any embarrassing stories about when she was little?
- That's the biggest little kid I've ever seen.
- (of a sibling) Younger.
- This is my little sister.
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Translations
small
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very young
(of a sibling) younger
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
[edit] Adverb
little (comparative less, superlative least)
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Positive |
- Not much.
- This is a little known fact.
- She spoke little and listened less.
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Translations
not much
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[edit] Determiner
little (comparative less, superlative least)
- A small amount
- There is little water left.
[edit] Translations
small amount
[edit] Usage notes
- Little is used with uncountable nouns. Few is used with plural countable nouns.
