poco

See also: POCO, póco, and poço

Interlingua

Noun

poco (plural pocos)

1. little bit

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Italian

Etymology

From Latin paucus, from Proto-Italic *paukos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ukos, derived from the root *peh₂w- (“few”, “little”). Compare French peu, Portuguese pouco, Spanish poco.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.ko/, [ˈpɔːko]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pò‧co

Adverb

poco

1. little, not much
   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Purgatorio [The Divine Comedy: Purgatory] (paperback), Bompiani, published 2001, Canto VII, lines 61–66, page 102:

     Allora il mio segnor, quasi ammirando, ¶ «Menane», disse, «dunque là ’ve dici ¶ ch’aver si può diletto dimorando». ¶ Poco allungati c’eravam di lici, ¶ quand’io m’accorsi che ’l monte era scemo, ¶ a guisa che i vallon li sceman quici.

     Thereon my Lord, as if in wonder, said: "Do thou conduct us thither, where thou sayest that we can take delight in tarrying." Little had we withdrawn us from that place, when I perceived the mount was hollowed out in fashion as the valleys here are hollowed.

2. (followed by an adjective) little, not very, poorly
3. (time) a little, a while, a short time

   a tra poco ― see you later

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto VIII, lines 58–63, page 122–123:

     Dopo ciò poco vid’io quello strazio ¶ far di costui a le fangose genti, ¶ che Dio ancor ne lodo e ne ringrazio. ¶ Tutti gridavano: « A Filippo Argenti! »; ¶ e ’l fiorentino spirito bizzarro ¶ in sé medesmo si volvea co’ denti.

     A little after that, I saw such havoc made of him by the people of the mire, that still I praise and thank my God for it. They all were shouting, "At Philippo Argenti!" and that exasperate spirit Florentine turned round upon himself with his own teeth.

Adjective

poco (feminine singular poca, masculine plural pochi, feminine plural poche)

1. little, not much
   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto XXIX, lines 112–117, page 434:

     Vero è ch’i’ dissi lui, parlando a gioco: ¶ ‘ I’ mi saprei levar per l'aere a volo ’; ¶ e quei, ch’avea vaghezza e senno poco, ¶ volle ch’i’ li mostrassi l’arte; e solo ¶ perch’ io nol feci Dedalo, mi fece ¶ ardere a tal che l’avea per figliuolo.

     'Tis true I said to him, speaking in jest, that I could rise by flight into the air, and he who had conceit, but little wit, would have me show to him the art; and only because no Dædalus I made him, made me be burned by one who held him as his son.

2. few, not many
3. (of time) short, little

Derived terms

• pochettino

Noun

poco m (invariable)

1. little

   Synonym: po'

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto XIV, lines 68–72, page 213:

     Quei fu l’un d’i sette regi ¶ ch’assiser Tebe; ed ebbe e par ch’elli abbia ¶ Dio in disdegno, e poco par che ’l pregi; ¶ ma, com’io dissi lui, li suoi dispetti ¶ sono al suo petto assai debiti fregi.

     One of the Seven Kings was he [Capaneus] who Thebes besieged, and held, and seems to hold God in disdain, and little seems to prize him; but, as I said to him, his own despites are for his breast the fittest ornaments.

Pronoun

poco m (feminine poca, masculine plural pochi, feminine plural poche) (indefinite)

1. little, not much

   Antonym: molto

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto I, lines 4–7, page 6:

     Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura ¶ esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte ¶ che nel pensier rinova la paura! ¶ Tant’è amara che poco è più morte

     Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say what was this forest savage, rough, and stern, which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is little more

2. (in the plural) few, not many
3. nearly, not long, short, little (time)

Derived terms

• a dir poco
• a poco a poco
• da poco
• di lì a poco
• di poco
• fra poco
• per poco
• poc'anzi
• pochetto
• pochezza
• pochino
• poco di buono
• poco fa
• poco raccomandabile
• tra poco
• un bel po' di
• un po' di/un poco di
• un po'/un poco

 

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin paucus, from Proto-Italic *paukos, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little”). Compare French peu, Italian poco, Portuguese pouco.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoko/, [ˈpo.ko]

Determiner

poco m sg (feminine poca, superlative poquísimo)

1. little, not much

   Bebí poca agua. ― I drank little water.

   Nos casamos hace poco tiempo.

   We got married recently.

   (literally, “We got married little time ago.”)

2. few, not many

   Muy pocas personas hacen eso. ― Very few people do that.

3. un-, not

   poco saludable ― unhealthy

Adverb

poco

1. little (not much)

   Comí poco. ― I ate little / I didn’t eat much.

Noun

poco m (plural pocos)

1. little (a small amount)

   Hablo un poco (de) inglés.

   I speak a little English.

2. a short time, a little while

   hace poco ― a little while ago

   dentro de poco ― in a little bit

Derived terms

• al poco rato
• apocar
• a poco que
• de a poco
• éramos pocos y parió la abuela
• mucho ruido y pocas nueces
• nunca mucho cuesta poco
• pocazo
• poco a poco
• poco hecho
• poco o nada
• poquedad
• poquitín
• por lo poco que uno sabe
• por poco
• un poco

 

superlatives

• poquísimo

 

diminutives

• poquillo
• poquito

 

Further reading

• “poco” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.