less
Part of speech: adv
det
prep
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”). According to Kroonen (2013), from a northern Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he connects to Lithuanian liesas (“lean”).
Determiner and preposition from Middle English lees, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣssa (“less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisizan-, from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”) (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian lessa (“less”).
Verb from Middle English lessen, from the determiner.
Noun from Middle English lesse, from the determiner.
Inflected forms:
Senses:
gloss: Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.
pos: adv
tags: comparative
diminutive
examples: Randal is less welcome than Rachel but as her spouse we should invite them both.
This gadget is less useful than I expected.
I'm not any less happy for being on my own.
This section of space is much less empty than that between the stars, […]
That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past.
In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
gloss: To a smaller extent or degree.
pos: adv
tags: comparative
diminutive
examples: The grammar book was less than (that is, not at all) helpful.
That this is a positive one makes it no less a stereotype, and therefore unacceptable.
gloss: A smaller amount of; not as much.
pos: det
examples: No less than eight pints of beer.
I have less tea than coffee.
You have even less sense than an inanimate object.
Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.
gloss: Fewer; a smaller number of.
pos: det
tags: proscribed
examples: There are less people here now.
Now there are three less green bottles hanging on the wall.
The express checkout lane is for those with ten items or less.
I thinke there are few Vniuersities that haue lesse faultes than Oxford, many that haue more.
... on his land he will have less manure, less corn, and less people; ...
This is not a happy situation as far as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes is concerned because it means less jobs for the union's members here at home.
No less than four standard-bearers went before them, carrying huge crimson banners emblazoned with the golden lion.
Although my hosts, G S Aviation, can teach you to fly in Wiltshire, an intensive week at their French airfield means less problems with the weather, cheap but good living, and complete removal from any distractions.
gloss: Minus; not including
pos: prep
examples: It should then tax all of that as personal income, less the proportion of the car's annual mileage demonstrably clocked up on company business.
gloss: A smaller amount or quantity.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Less is better.
I have less to do today than yesterday.
Antonyms: more
plus
Related words: fewer
lesser
Translations: