little
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɪ.tl̩/
ipa: [ˈlɪ.ɾɫ̩]
ipa: /ˈlɘ.tl̩/
note: Indic
ipa: /lɪʈl̩/
ipa: [lɪʈ.ɐl]
ipa: [lɪʈ.(ʈ)ɨɭ]
rhymes: -ɪtəl
homophone: Littell
Forms: form: littles
Etymology: From Middle English litel, from Old English lyttel, lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic *lūtil, from Proto-Germanic *lūtilaz (“tending to stoop, crouched, little”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewd- (“to bend, bent, small”), equivalent to lout + -le. Cognate with Dutch luttel, regional German lütt and lützel, Saterland Frisian litje, West Frisian lyts, Low German lütt, lüttje. Related also to Old English lūtan (“to bow, bend low”); and perhaps to Old English lytiġ (“deceitful”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐍃 (liuts, “deceitful”); compare also Icelandic lítill (“little”), Faroese lítil, Swedish liten, Danish liden, lille, Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (leitils), which appear to have a different root vowel. More at lout.
Senses: examples: text: I hope the little we've done will be useful.
text: Little did he do to make me comfortable.
text: If you want some cake, there’s a little in the refrigerator.
raw_tags: Scottish proverb
text: Many littles make a mickle.
glosses: A small amount.
glosses: A child, particularly an infant.
examples: text: He was there the night of Cristoph's party. All the littles were assigned to their bigs. Ian and Christoph had rushed the same fraternity. When they became upperclassmen, they both ended up on the board.
ref: 2018, Kelly Ann Gonzales, Through an Opaque Window:
text: She added that the relationship between bigs and littles is "what each pair makes of it," and that a lot of the pairs often get dinner together and become close friends.
ref: 2019 April 1, Audrey Steinkamp, “Sororities pair new members with "bigs"”, in Yale Daily News:
text: Some traditions of the chapter include lineages with bigs and littles, receiving of paddles from a big, and a national stroll, Wolsch-Gallia said.
ref: 2022 September 27, Shreya Varrier, “Gamma Rho Lambda provides LGBTQIA+ community in greek life”, in Iowa State Daily:
antonyms: big
glosses: An adult in a child-like role, or in the more junior of two paired roles.
A newly initiated member of a sorority or fraternity, who is mentored by a big.
qualifier: university slang
topics: BDSM
lifestyle
sexuality
antonyms: big
glosses: An adult in a child-like role, or in the more junior of two paired roles.
The participant in ageplay who acts out the younger role.
examples: text: People with [dissociative identity] disorder frequently have a younger personality among their distinctive personalities. However, it’s believed that the "little" may not be a separate personality. Instead, it may be a regressed version of the original personality.
ref: 2019 August 30, Kimberly Holland, Healthline:
antonyms: big
glosses: An adult in a child-like role, or in the more junior of two paired roles.
One who has mentally age regressed to a childlike state.
examples: I go up for my Little tomorrow.
glosses: Ellipsis of little go (“type of examination”).
Derived terms: little space
Related terms: word: a little
word: li'l
word: li'l'
word: lil
word: little by little
word: little old
english: cognate verb
translation: cognate verb
word: belittle