smallness

English

Alternative forms

• smallnesse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English smalnesse; equivalent to small +‎ -ness.

Noun

smallness (countable and uncountable, plural smallnesses)

1. (uncountable) The state or quality of being small.

   His smallness didn't bother him, except when he needed something off the top shelf.

   • 1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter III.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 136:

     The exiguity and ſmallneſſe of ſome ſeeds extending to large productions is one of the magnalities of nature, ſomewhat illuſtrating the work of the Creation, and vaſt production from nothing.

   • 1963 January, “The Irish scene”, in Modern Railways, page 16:

     Mr. Howden forcibly expressed his view that the U.T.A. [Ulster Transport Authority] rail system "had reached the limit of its smallness".

2. (countable) The result or product of being small.

Translations

state of being small

• Arabic: صِغَر (ar) m (ṣiḡar)
• Esperanto: eteco
• French: petitesse (fr) f
• German: Kleinheit f
• Greek:

  Ancient: μικρότης f (mikrótēs)

• Icelandic: smæð (is) f
• Ido: mikreso (io)
• Ingrian: peenys
• Irish: laghad m
• Italian: piccolezza (it) f
• Latin: parvitās f
• Ottoman Turkish: قلت (kıllet) (small in number)
• Polish: małość (pl) f
• Romanian: micime (ro) f
• Russian: ма́лость (ru) f (málostʹ), ме́лкость (ru) f (mélkostʹ)
• Spanish: pequeñez (es) f, menudencia (es) f
• Turkish: küçüklük (tr)
• Zulu: ubuncane class 14

References

• “smallness”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.