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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Lesser To learn more about
Lesser visit Britannica.com
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) -
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Share This lit·tle Audio Help / ˈlɪt / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ lit -l] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, lit·tler or less or less·er, lit·tlest or least, adverb, less, least, noun –adjective 1. small in size; not big; not large; tiny: a little desk in the corner of the room.
2. short in duration; not extensive; short; brief: a little while.
3. small in number: a little group of scientists.
4. small in amount or degree; not much: little hope.
5. of a certain amount; appreciable (usually prec. by a ): We're having a little difficulty.
6. being such on a small scale: little farmers.
7. younger or youngest: He's my little brother.
8. not strong, forceful, or loud; weak: a little voice.
9. small in consideration, importance, position, affluence, etc.: little discomforts; tax reductions to help the little fellow.
10. mean, narrow, or illiberal: a little mind.
11. endearingly small or considered as such: Bless your little heart!
12. amusingly small or so considered: a funny little way of laughing.
13. contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc., or so considered: filthy little political tricks.
–adverb 14. not at all (used before a verb): He little knows what awaits him.
15. in only a small amount or degree; not much; slightly: a little known work of art; little better than a previous effort.
16. seldom; rarely; infrequently: We see each other very little.
–noun 17. a small amount, quantity, or degree: They did little to make him comfortable. If you want some ice cream, there's a little in the refrigerator.
18. a short distance: It's down the road a little.
19. a short time: Stay here for a little.
—Idioms 20. in little, on a small scale; in miniature: a replica in little of Independence Hall.
21. little by little, by small degrees; gradually: The water level rose little by little.
22. make little of, a. belittle: to make little of one's troubles.
b. to understand or interpret only slightly: Scholars made little of the newly discovered text.
23. not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably: It tired me not a little to stand for three hours.
24. think little of, to treat casually; regard as trivial: They think little of driving 50 miles to see a movie.
[Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE
lȳ tel (
lȳ t few, small +
-el dim. suffix), c. D
luttel, OHG
luzzil, ON
lītill ]
—Related forms lit·tle·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1–4 .Little, diminutive, minute, small refer to that which is not large or significant. Little (the opposite of big ) is very general, covering size, extent, number, quantity, amount, duration, or degree: a little boy; a little time. Small (the opposite of large and of great ) can many times be used interchangeably with little, but is especially applied to what is limited or below the average in size: small oranges. Diminutive denotes (usually physical) size that is much less than the average or ordinary; it may suggest delicacy: the baby's diminutive fingers; diminutive in size but autocratic in manner. Minute suggests that which is so tiny it is difficult to discern, or that which implies attentiveness to the smallest details: a minute quantity; a minute exam.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
American Heritage Dictionary -
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Audio Help (lěs'ər) Pronunciation Key
little .
Smaller in amount, value, or importance, especially in a comparison between two things: chose the lesser evil.
Of a smaller size than other, similar forms: the lesser anteater.
little .
a lesser-known writer.
the lesser of two evils.
lesse , less ; see less
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
American Heritage Dictionary -
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Audio Help (lĭt'l) Pronunciation Key
lit·tler or less (lěs) also less·er (lěs'ər), lit·tlest or least (lēst)
Small in size: a little dining room. See Synonyms at small .
Short in extent or duration; brief: There is little time left.
Small in quantity or degree: little money.
Unimportant; trivial: a little matter.
Narrow; petty: mean little comments; a little mind consumed with trivia.
Without much power or influence; of minor status.
Being at an early stage of growth; young: a little child.
Younger or youngest. Used especially of a sibling: My little brother is leaving for college next week.
less or lesser , least
Not much; scarcely: works long hours, sleeping little.
Not in the least; not at all: They little expected such a generous gift.
A small quantity or amount: Give me a little.
Something much less than all: I know little of their history.
A short distance or time: a little down the road; waited a little.
lȳtel .]
lit'tle·ness n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
WordNet -
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Share This lesser adjective 1. of less size or importance; "the lesser anteater"; "the lesser of two evils" [ant: greater ] 2. smaller in size or amount or value; "the lesser powers of Europe"; "the lesser anteater"
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary -
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Share This ˈlesser adjective
smaller or not as important
Example:
the lesser of the two towns
Arabic: أقَل من Chinese (Simplified): 较少的 Chinese (Traditional): 較少的 Czech: menší Danish: mindre Dutch: minder Estonian: väiksem Finnish: pienempi French: le, *la moindre German: kleiner Greek: λιγότερο σημαντικός, μικρότερος Hungarian: kisebb Icelandic: minni; óæðri; síðri Indonesian: lebih kecil Italian: minore, di minore importanza*
Japanese: より小さい Korean: 보다 적은 Latvian: mazāks; sīkāks Lithuanian: mažesnis Norwegian: mindre (betydelig) Polish: (po)mniejszy Portuguese (Brazil): menor Portuguese (Portugal): menor Romanian: (cel) mai mic Russian: меньший Slovak: menší Slovenian: manjši Spanish: menor Swedish: mindre Turkish: daha küçük olan
ˈlesser adverb
less
Example:
the lesser-known streets of London
Arabic: الأقَل Chinese (Simplified): 较少地 Chinese (Traditional): 較少地 Czech: méně Danish: mindre Dutch: minder Estonian: vähem Finnish: vähemmän French: moins German: weniger Greek: λιγότερο Hungarian: kevésbé Icelandic: minna; lítt Indonesian: kurang Italian: meno
Japanese: より少なく Korean: 보다 적게 Latvian: mazāk Lithuanian: mažiau Norwegian: mindre; det minste Polish: mniej Portuguese (Brazil): menos Portuguese (Portugal): menos Romanian: mai puţin Russian: менее Slovak: menej Slovenian: manj Spanish: menor Swedish: mindre Turkish: daha az, *küçük, daha önemsiz
See also: lessen ,
less ,
no less a person than ,
the less … the less/more
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law -
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less·er Pronunciation:
'le-s&r Function:
adjective : of less size, quality, degree, or significance;
specifically : of lowercriminal liability <duress has been held a good defense to such
lesser crimes as robbery, burglary and malicious mischief —W. Railroad LaFave and A. W. Scott, Junior>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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Lease\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Leased ; p. pr. & vb. n.
Leasing .] [F. laisser, OF. laissier, lessier, to leave, transmit, L. laxare to loose, slacken, from laxus loose, wide. See
Lax , and cf.
Lesser .]
1. To grant to another by lease the possession of, as of lands, tenements, and hereditaments; to let; to demise; as, a landowner leases a farm to a tenant; -- sometimes with out.
There were some [houses] that were leased out for three lives. --Addison.
2. To hold under a lease; to take lease of; as, a tenant leases his land from the owner.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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Less\, a. [OE. lesse, AS. l[=ae]ssa; akin to OFries. l[=e]ssa; a compar. from a lost positive form. Cf.
Lesser ,
Lest ,
Least . Less has the sense of the comparative degree of little.] Smaller; not so large or great; not so much; shorter; inferior; as, a less quantity or number; a horse of less size or value; in less time than before.
Note: The substantive which less qualifies is often omitted; as, the purse contained less (money) than ten dollars. See
Less , n.
Thus in less [time] than a hundred years from the coming of Augustine, all England became Christian. --E. A. Freeman.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Audio Help [les-er] Pronunciation Key 
