Less

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Pronunciation: /lɛs/

Definitions

1. A comparative expression denoting a diminutive amount, degree, or intensity in contrast to another term
2. This term signifies a reduction in quantity, extent, or quality when juxtaposed with something else
3. A comparative term indicating a smaller quantity, degree, or intensity when compared to another element in a given context

Etymology: Old English "lǣs" meant "smaller" or "lesser," and the word's core idea of diminishing has barely changed in over a thousand years. Its deeper roots point to something thin and slight: the Proto-Germanic "*laisiz" is linked to a prehistoric Indo-European base meaning "to shrink, grow thin, be gentle." Some scholars connect it to Lithuanian "liesas," meaning "lean," which suggests the original picture was of something pared down rather than merely small. The word has a surprising grammatical life. The adverb came first in Middle English, as in the Old English phrase "þȳ lǣs þe," meaning "the less that," a construction that survives in modern "none the less" and "nevertheless." From the same stem came the determiner and preposition, used before numbers and nouns, and eventually the verbs "lessen" and "lease" in its diminishing sense. Cognates in Old Frisian and Old Saxon show the word was shared across the early Germanic languages, so English "less" is a close relative of its continental neighbours rather than a borrowing.

Synonyms: fewer, reduced, lower, minor, diminished

Antonyms: more, greater, increased, higher, amplified