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smidgen

 - 4 dictionary results

smid⋅gen

[smij-uhn]
–noun
a very small amount: a smidgen of jam for your toast.
Also, smidgin, smidgeon.


Origin:
1835–45; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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smid·gen also smid·geon or smid·gin   (smĭj'ən)   
n.  A very small quantity or portion; a bit or mite: "a smidgen of genius, a sliver of cutting truth" (John Simon).

[Probably alteration of dialectal smitch, particle, perhaps ultimately from Middle English smite, perhaps from past participle of smiten, to smite; see smite.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
smidgen [ˈsmɪdʒnæ]

  1. n.
    a tiny bit. : Oh, come on, more than a smidgen. Just a little?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

smidgen 
1845, perhaps from Scot. smitch "very small amount, small insignificant person" (1822), perhaps from smidin "small syllable." Short form smidge is attested from 1905, Amer.Eng. dial.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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