different between ful vs less

Catalan

Adjective

ful (indeclinable)

1. Of or pertaining to Fula.

Noun

ful m (uncountable)

1. Fula

Related terms

• fulbe

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse fúll, from Proto-Germanic *f?laz, cognate with Swedish ful, English foul, German faul, Dutch vuil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fu??l/, [?fu?l]
• Homophone: fugl

Adjective

ful (neuter fult, plural and definite singular attributive fule)

1. (dated) nasty, ugly

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ????? (f?l).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fu?l/

Noun

ful m (collective, singulative fula, paucal fuliet)

1. broad bean, broad beans

See also

• fa?ola

Middle English

Adverb

ful

1. very; much; to a great extent
   • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41

     And I seide, "Ser, in his tyme maister Ioon Wiclef was holden of ful many men the grettis clerk that thei knewen lyuynge vpon erthe. And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge. […]

     And I said, "Sir, in his time master John Wycliffe was held by very many men the greatest clerk that they knew living upon earth. And with this he was named, as I believe worthily, an excellent ruly and innocent man in all his living. […]

2. full
   • ca. 1384, John Wycliffe, Wycliffe Bible (translation from the Vulgate), Genesis 25:8

     and failynge he was deed in a good elde, and of greet age, and ful of dayes, and he was gaderyd to his puple.

     and failing he was dead in a good old [age], and of great age, and full of days, and he was gathered to his people.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse fúll, from Proto-Germanic *f?laz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f???/
• Homophone: fugl
• Rhymes: -???

Adjective

ful (masculine and feminine ful, neuter fult, definite singular and plural fule, comparative fulere, indefinite superlative fulest, definite superlative fuleste)

1. clever, sly

References

• “ful” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “ful” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse fúll, from Proto-Germanic *f?laz.

Adjective

ful (masculine and feminine ful, neuter fult, definite singular and plural fule, comparative fulare, indefinite superlative fulast, definite superlative fulaste)

1. clever, sly

References

• “ful” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *fullaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ful/

Adjective

ful

1. Alternative form of full

Declension

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *f?laz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fu?l/

Adjective

f?l

1. foul (dirty, stinking, vile, corrupt)

Declension

Derived terms

• f?lnes

Descendants

• Middle English: foul
  • English: foul
  • Scots: foul

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *full

Adjective

ful

1. full

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: fol

• West Frisian: fol

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ful/

Verb

·ful

1. third-person singular present subjunctive prototonic of fo·loing

Mutation

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *full, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European *pl?h?nós.

Adjective

ful

1. full

Declension

Related terms

• fullian

Descendants

• Low German: vull

Plautdietsch

Adjective

ful

1. foul, rotten, putrid
2. lazy, shiftless, indolent, slothful

Polish

Etymology

From English full.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ful/

Noun

ful m inan

1. (poker) full house

Declension

Romanian

Etymology

From English full.

Noun

ful n (plural fuluri)

1. (poker) full house

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse fúll, from Proto-Germanic *f?laz. Compare English foul, Dutch vuil, German faul.

Pronunciation

• (Sweden) IPA^(key): /f??l/
• Rhymes: -??l

Adjective

ful

1. ugly; of displeasing appearance

   Det var den fulaste unge jag någonsin sett.

   That's the ugliest kid I've ever seen.

2. dirty, bad; something contradictory to norms and rules

   Larsson gjorde en riktigt ful tackling.

   Larsson pulled off a really dirty tackle.

3. prefix indicating a state of low or poor quality: an ironic opposite of fin, "fine, elegant."
   • 2000, Mikael Niemi, Populärmusik från Vittula p. 35; English translation by Laurie Thompson: Popular Music from Vittula (2003), p. 36.

     Hukande tassade han fram till predikstolen, en skygg liten gosse med fulsnaggat hår.

     Shoulders hunched, he tip-toed toward the pulpit, a bashful little boy with an awful haircut.

Declension

Related terms

• asful
• fulöl
• fulsnygg
• skitful

Anagrams

• Ulf, ulf

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English fool.

Noun

ful

1. fool

Volapük

Noun

ful (nominative plural fuls)

1. fullness

Declension

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Etymology 1

Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English l?s (“less, lest”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, become small, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian l?s (“less”), Old Saxon l?s (“less”).

Determiner and preposition from Middle English lees, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English l?ssa (“less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisizan-, from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”) (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian lessa (“less”).

Verb from Middle English lessen, from the determiner.

Noun from Middle English lesse, from the determiner.

Adverb

less (negative comparative)

1. comparative degree of little
2. Used for forming negative comparatives of adjectives, especially those that do not form the comparative by adding -er.
   • 1957, Lester Del Rey, Rockets Through Space: The Story of Man's Preparations to Explore the Universe:

     This section of space is much less empty than that between the stars, […]
3. To a smaller extent or degree.

Antonyms

• more

Translations

Determiner

less

1. (Now chiefly of numbers or dimensions) comparative form of little: more little; of inferior size, degree or extent; smaller, lesser. [from 11th c.]
   • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, page 141:

     Those Rattels are somewhat like the chape of a Rapier, but lesse, which they take from the taile of a snake.

   • 1711,The Spectator, no. 126:

     We are likewise ready to maintain with the hazard of all that is near and dear to us, that six is less than seven in all times and all places […] .
2. A smaller amount of; not as much. [from 12th c.]

3. (sometimes proscribed) Fewer; a smaller number of. [from 14th c.]
   • 1952, Thomas M Pryor, New York Times, 7 Sep 1952:

     This is not a happy situation as far as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes is concerned because it means less jobs for the union's members here at home.

   • 1999, George RR Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam 2011, page 555:

     No less than four standard-bearers went before them, carrying huge crimson banners emblazoned with the golden lion.

   • 2003, Timandra Harkness, The Guardian, 16 Dec 2003:

     Although my hosts, G S Aviation, can teach you to fly in Wiltshire, an intensive week at their French airfield means less problems with the weather, cheap but good living, and complete removal from any distractions.

Usage notes

Some^[*] regard the use of the determiner less with countable quantities to be incorrect, stating that less should indicate only a reduction in uncountable quantity, or in size or significance, leaving fewer to indicate a smaller numerical quantity. For example, they suggest saying less sugar, but fewer people, not less people. Such a rule can allow distinctions such as:

• Their troubles are fewer than ours, meaning "Their troubles are not so numerous as ours."
• Their troubles are less than ours, meaning "Their troubles are not so great as ours."

Nevertheless, less has been widely understood and commonly used as a synonym for fewer since it first appeared in Old English as læs.

Antonyms

• more

Translations

See also

• fewer
• lesser

Preposition

less

1. Minus; not including

Antonyms

• plus

Translations

Verb

less (third-person singular simple present lesses, present participle lessing, simple past and past participle lessed)

1. (archaic) To make less; to lessen.
   • 1386-90, Gower, Confessio Amantis

     What he will make lesse, he lesseth.

   • c. 1650, Patrick Gordon of Ruthven, A short Abridgement of Britane's Distemper, from the yeares of God 1639 to 1649, printed 1844 for the Spalding Club

     Som of the wiser sort, divining upon this vission, attrebute to the pen-knyves the lenth of tym before this should com to pass, and it hath been observed by sindrie that the earles of that hous befor wer the richest in the kingdom, having treasure and store besyde them, but ever since the addittion of this so great a revenue, they have lessed the stock by heavie burdens of debt and ingagment.

   • 1816, "Joseph Wharton" [obituary notice], Poulson's Advertiser, quoted in Genealogy of the Wharton Family of Philadelphia: 1664 to 1880, Anne Hollingsworth Wharton (1880)

     The protracted term of life, and the lingering illness through which this gentleman had passed, had neither impaired the original vigour of his mind, nor lessed the uncommon warmth of his affections.

Translations

Derived terms

Noun

less (uncountable)

1. A smaller amount or quantity.

Etymology 2

From Middle English lesse, les, from Old English l?s, as in þ? l?s þe.

Conjunction

less

1. (obsolete) unless
   • 1614, Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair

     To tell you true, 'tis too good for you, 'less you had grace to follow it

References

• less at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “less”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary, (Please provide a date or year).
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “less”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• ELSS, SLEs

Hungarian

Etymology

les +? -j

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l???]
• Hyphenation: less
• Rhymes: -???

Verb

less

1. second-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of les

Lombard

Etymology

From Latin elixus. Compare Italian lesso (“boiled meat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?s?/

Noun

less m (invariable)

1. boiled meat

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse látast.

Verb

less (present tense less, past tense less)

1. to pretend (to be)

Etymology 2

Verb

less

1. imperative of lesse

References

• “less” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Verb

less

1. imperative of lessa

Etymology 2

Verb

less

1. (non-standard since 2012) past tense of låss

Polish

Etymology

From German Löss.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?s/

Noun

less m inan

1. (geology) loess

Declension

Derived terms

• (adjective) lessowy

Further reading

• less in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• less in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Swedish

Etymology

Clipping of lessen, pronunciation spelling of ledsen (“sad”), alternatively interpreted as a pronunciation spelling of a clipping of ledsen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?s?/

Adjective

less (comparative mer less, superlative mest less)

1. fed up, done

Declension

Only used with the common gender singular, comparated periphrastically, only used predicatively.