different between measly vs small

English

Etymology

measle (“singular of measles”) +? -y; the word measle is either from Middle Dutch masel (“a blister filled with blood; a pustule, a skin blemish”), or Middle Low German masel (“a red skin blemish”), from Proto-Germanic *masuraz (“a knot or scar in wood; a knarl”), from *mas-, *m?s- (“a spot; a sore; a scar”), from Proto-Indo-European *mos- (“a skin sore”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?mi?zli/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?mizli/
• Hyphenation: meas?ly

Adjective

measly (comparative measlier, superlative measliest)

1. Particularly of pigs or pork: infected with larval tapeworms or trichinae (parasitic roundworms). [from late 16th c.]
   • 1847, William Youatt, The Pig: A Treatise on the Breeds, Management, Feeding, and Medical Treatment, of Swine; with Directions for Salting Pork, and Curing Bacon and Hams, page 113:

     Then take five or six apples, pick out the cores and fill up the holes thus made with flour of brimstone; stop up the holes and cast in the apples to the measly hog.

2. Of a person: infected with measles.
   • 1902, The Epworth Herald

     A measly boy, he looked like a tramp, probably one of the street boys from the village, just walked up here and made himself at home, and when I told him to leave, he wouldn't.

3. (figuratively, informal) Small (especially contemptibly small) in amount. [from mid 19th c.]

   Synonyms: miserable, paltry, trifling

   • 2004, Richard Rizun, Ora, Trafford Publishing (?ISBN)

     The visiting tourists eagerly forked over a measly two dollars per group to their guides as payment for their services. This amount was measly sum to the givers, but a princely sum to the takers.

   • 2010, Marylee Daniel Mitcham, Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe, Strategic Book Publishing (?ISBN), page 127:

     So it wasn't a hotel, as I said in my novel, just a measly motel. But to me it was like the First measly motel, and I remember laughing about the things I was saying straight from my unconscious to both his and God's ear.

Translations

References

• “measly”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• Lameys, Leamys, Lemays, Maleys, Mayles, Mealys, amyles, samely, yealms

English

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sm??l/
• • Rhymes: -??l
• (US)
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /smo?l/

Etymology

From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ?????? (mályj, “small”).

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.

2. (figuratively) Young, as a child.

3. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
4. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
   • 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling

     A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

5. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.

6. (archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.

Synonyms

• (not large or big): little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny
• (young, as a child): little, wee (Scottish), young
• (of written letters): lowercase, minuscule

Antonyms

• See also Thesaurus:large
• (not large or big): capital, big, generous (said of an amount of something given), large
• (young, as a child): adult, grown-up, old
• (of written letters): big, capital, majuscule, uppercase

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. In a small fashion. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. In or into small pieces.
   • 2009, Ingrid Hoffman, CBS Early Morning for September 28, 2009 (transcription)

     That's going to go in there. We've got some chives small chopped as well.

3. (obsolete) To a small extent.
4. (obsolete) In a low tone; softly.

Derived terms

• writ small

Noun

small (plural smalls)

1. (rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

Derived terms

• small of the back

Verb

small (third-person singular simple present smalls, present participle smalling, simple past and past participle smalled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less.
2. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.
   • 1917, Thomas Hardy, The Clock of the Years

     And smalled till she was nought at all.

Anagrams

• malls

Icelandic

Verb

small (strong)

1. first-person singular past indicative of smella
2. third-person singular past indicative of smella

Low German

Etymology

From Middle Low German smal, from Old Saxon smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz. Cognate with German schmal, Dutch smal, English small.

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)

1. narrow
2. small, slender

Declension

Middle English

Adjective

small

1. Alternative form of smal

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

small

1. (non-standard since 2005) past tense of smelle

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

small

1. past tense of smella

Swedish

Verb

small

1. past tense of smälla.

Anagrams

• malls