small
part of speech
adjective (small, smaller, smallest); noun (the small of your back); adverb (rare: think small)
meaning for a pupil
1) Small means little in size: a small dog. tree →
2) Small means little in number or amount: a small crowd, a small number. tree →
3) Small means young: when I was small. tree →
4) Small means not important: a small mistake. tree →
5) Smaller means less big than another one; smallest means less big than all the others. tree →
6) Small can mean mean or petty: «That was a small thing to do». tree →
7) (casual) «Small» is a size in shops and cafés: «a small chips, please». tree →
8) (formal) Exams say «of lesser magnitude», «minimal», «negligible» or «the lesser of» for small or smaller. tree →
9) (euphemism) «Small» or «petite» is a polite word for short or thin people; «a small problem» may hide a big one. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Tanakh small means little in size or amount, such as small weights, but it also means unimportant. Job says "I am of small account," meaning he is humble before God. Ezekiel asks if sins were "a small matter." Job is told that a small beginning can have a great end. Interpretation: The tradition reads Job's words as humility before God, and Job 8:7 as hope that a small start can grow into great reward. In the primary lessons: the lesser of two numbers («subtract the smaller number from the bigger one»); in maths ordering numbers from smallest to biggest; in science small animals like insects, very small things seen with a microscope; in everyday life «small talk», «small print», «small change», «a small one» (a small drink); in casual talk «it's no small thing», «teeny», «tiny», «titchy» (UK); in rough talk «you're so small you can't reach» (a put-down about size); in the exam voice «the lesser quantity», «the minimal value», «a negligible amount»
examples
- Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. (Torah DEU.25.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. (Torah DEU.25.14, JPS 1917) tree →
- And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. (Torah EXO.18.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- Were thy harlotries a small matter, (Prophets EZK.16.20, JPS 1917) tree →
- Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer Thee? (Writings JOB.40.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- And though thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase. (Writings JOB.8.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- We always subtract the smaller number from the bigger one. tree →
- Which number is smaller, 8 or 13? tree →
- Put the numbers in order from smallest to biggest. tree →
- Germs are too small to see without a microscope. tree →
- I made a small mistake in my spelling. tree →
- When I was small, I was scared of the dark. tree →
- A small chips and a Coke, ta. tree →
- We've got a small problem: the car won't start (it's a big problem). tree →
- Don't sweat the small stuff, just count 'em. tree →
- Oi, shorty, you're too small for the big slide. tree →
- Determine the lesser of the two quantities, 17 and 23. tree →
- The difference is negligible: 0.01 kilograms. tree →
- The dragon grows small at night! tree →
note
In subtraction with whole numbers, take the smaller number from the bigger one. Trap: the smaller number is not always the one told second. Opposite: big, large. The smallest whole number is 0. «The lesser of» and «the minimum» in an exam ask for the smaller number. «a small problem» said calmly may be a euphemism for a big one. Teasing someone about size is unkind.
In the corpora
- And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
- Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small.
- Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small.
- and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
- Thou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt-offerings; neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «small» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.