little
//ˈlɪ.tl̩//
informalForms
- Comparative
- littler
- Superlative
- littlest
- Comparative
- less
- Superlative
- least
- Plural
- littles
Definitions
1.Small, not large, limited, particularly
- I have a pain in my little toe.
- "Excuse me, do you speak English?" "Yes. A little."
- I saw a little boy running.
2.Small, not large, limited
- I always feel better after a little sleep.
- That's a mighty little herd you've got there.
- A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
1.Not much.
- We slept very little last night.
- She spoke little and listened less.
- This is a little-known fact: the new model is little faster than the old one.
2.Not at all.
- She little knew what awaited her.
- Little did he know that the burglar was creeping upstairs at that very moment.
1.Not much; not a large amount.
- Little is known about his early life.
1.A small amount.
- Little did he do to make me comfortable.
- I hope the little we've done will be useful.
- If you want some cake, there’s a little in the refrigerator.
2.A child, particularly an infant.(informal)
1.Not much, only a little: only a small amount (of).
- There is (very) little water left.
- We had very little to do.
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #238
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Very common
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Common
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English litel, litell, luitel, lutel, lutil, luytel, from Old English lȳtel, lyttel, from Proto-West Germanic *lūtil (“little”), from *lūtan (“to bow down, lout”), from Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bow down, lout”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewd- (“to bend, crouch, duck”), equivalent to lout + -le.