different between less vs lase

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.

English

Etymology

Back-formation from laser, as if removing -er. Compare mase.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?le?z/
• Homophones: lays, laze
• Rhymes: -e?z

Verb

lase (third-person singular simple present lases, present participle lasing, simple past and past participle lased)

1. (transitive) To use a laser beam on, as for cutting.

   The surgeon lased the elongated soft palate, cutting off the excess tissue and stopping the blood flow in one swipe.

   The physical chemist lased the atoms as they passed between the electrodes to study their motion.

   • 2010 (publication date), Daniel Lametti, "The Proton Gets Small(er)", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 67:

     When a laser zaps an electron orbiting a proton, the electron undergoes what is called the Lamb shift, absorbing energy and jumping to a higher energy level. […] But instead of lasing electrons, Knowles examined protons with particles called muons, which he calls "the electron's fat cousin."

2. (intransitive) To operate as a laser, to release coherent light due to stimulation.

   Once enough of the gas particles are in a higher energy state, they will begin to lase and give off a coherent beam.

Anagrams

• ASLE, ELAS, Elsa, LAEs, LEAs, SEAL, Sale, Salé, Seal, Sela, aels, ales, leas, sale, seal, sela

Estonian

Alternative forms

• las

Verb

lase

1. second-person singular imperative of laskma

Usage notes

lase governs the adessive (verb in the infinitive), las governs the nominative (verb in corresponding person, in the present).

Inari Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Samic *lës?.

Noun

lase

1. addition, increase

Inflection

Further reading

• Koponen, Eino; Ruppel, Klaas; Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002-2008) Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages?^[1], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Latgalian

Etymology

Cognates include Latvian l?se and Lithuanian lašas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?las?æ/

Noun

lase f

1. drop (of a liquid)

References

• Nicole Nau (2011) A short grammar of Latgalian, München: LINCOM GmbH, ?ISBN

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?lase]

Verb

lase

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of l?sa
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of l?sa