Little
Little is a surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Middle English littel, and the Old English lȳtel, which mean “little”. In some cases the name was originally a nickname for a little man. In other cases, the name was used to distinguish the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. Early records of the name include: Litle, in 972; Litle, in about 1095; and le Lytle, in 1296. The surname has absorbed several non English-language surnames. For example, Little is sometimes a translation of the Irish Ó Beagáin, meaning “descendant of Beagán”. Little can also be a translation of the French Petit and Lepetit, as well as other surnames in various languages with the same meaning (“little”), especially the German name Klein during World War II.
Few (determiner)
An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
“I was expecting lots of people at the party, but very few (=almost none) turned up.”
“Quite a few of them (=many of them) were pleasantly surprised.”
“I”
“don’t know how many drinks I’ve had, but I’ve had a few. [This usage is likely ironic.]”
Few (determiner)
Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.
“There are few people who understand quantum theory.”
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Few (determiner)
(US?) Obscuring one eighth to two eighths of the sky.
“Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight.”
“NOAA definition of the term “few clouds”: An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8. This is applied only when obscuring phenomena aloft are present–that is, not when obscuring phenomena are surface-based, such as fog.”
Few (determiner)
(US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.
Few (pronoun)
Few people, few things.
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Little (adjective)
Small in size.
“This is a little table.”
Little (adjective)
Insignificant, trivial.
“It’s of little importance.”
Little (adjective)
Very young.
“Did he tell you any embarrassing stories about when she was little?”
“That’s the biggest little boy I’ve ever seen.”
Little (adjective)
Younger.
“This is my little sister.”
Little (adjective)
Used with the name of place, especially of a country, to denote a neighborhood whose residents or storekeepers are from that place.
Little (adjective)
Small in amount or number, having few members.
“little money;”
“little herd”
Little (adjective)
Short in duration; brief.
“I feel better after my little sleep.”
Little (adjective)
Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.
Little (adverb)
Not much.
“This is a little known fact.”
“She spoke little and listened less.”
Little (adverb)
Not at all.
“I was speaking ill of Fred; little did I know that he was right behind me, listening in.”
Little (determiner)
Not much, only a little: only a small amount (of).
“There is little water left.”
“We had very little to do.”
Little (pronoun)
Not much; not a large amount.
“Little is known about his early life.”
Little (noun)
The participant in ageplay who acts out the younger role.
Little (adjective)
small in size, amount, or degree (often used to convey an appealing diminutiveness or express an affectionate or condescending attitude)
“a little puppy dog”
“a boring little man”
“the plants will grow into little bushes”
Little (adjective)
(of a person) young or younger
“my little brother”
“when she was little she was always getting into scrapes”
Little (adjective)
denoting something, especially a place, that is the smaller or smallest of those so named or is named after a similar larger one
“the village of Little Chesterton”
Little (adjective)
used in names of animals and plants that are smaller than related kinds, e.g. little grebe.
Little (adjective)
of short distance or duration
“we climbed up a little way”
“stay for a little while”
Little (adjective)
relatively unimportant or trivial (often used ironically)
“I can’t remember every little detail”
“we have a little problem”
Little (determiner)
a small amount of
“you only see a little of what he can do”
“we got a little help from a training scheme”
Little (determiner)
a short time or distance
“after a little, the rain stopped”
Little (determiner)
used to emphasize how small an amount is
“the rouble is worth so little these days”
“he ate and drank very little”
“there was very little time to be lost”
“I have little doubt of their identity”
Little (pronoun)
a small amount of
“we got a little help from a training scheme”
“you only see a little of what he can do”
Little (pronoun)
used to emphasize how small an amount is
“I have little doubt of their identity”
“he ate and drank very little”
“the rouble is worth so little these days”
“there was very little time to be lost”
Little (pronoun)
Little (pronoun)
a short time or distance
“after a little, the rain stopped”
Little (adverb)
to a small extent
“I was always a little afraid of her”
“he reminded me a little of my parents”
Little (adverb)
only to a small extent; not much or often (used for emphasis)
“he was little known in this country”
“he had slept little these past weeks”
Little (adverb)
hardly or not at all
“little did he know what wheels he was putting into motion”