different between less vs leis

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le?z/
• Homophone: lays

Noun

leis

1. plural of lei

Anagrams

• %iles, Elis, Iles, Isle, Lise, Sile, iles, isle, lies, sile, slie

Galician

Noun

leis f pl

1. plural of lei

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la??s/
• Rhymes: -a??s

Adjective

leis (comparative leiser, superlative am leisesten)

1. (colloquial, poetic) Alternative form of leise

Further reading

• “leis” in Duden online

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish les (“buttock, hip, haunch; buttocks, posterior”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l????/

Noun

leis f (genitive singular leise, nominative plural leasracha)

1. (anatomy) thigh
2. (cooking) leg, haunch

Declension

Synonyms

• ceathrú f
• sliasaid f

Derived terms

• leisíneach (“person with game leg; person with limping gait; tardy person”)
• leisíneacht (“limping gait; tardiness”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l???/

Preposition

leis (plus dative, triggers no mutation)

1. form of le (“with”) used before the definite article

Alternative forms

• ris

Pronoun

leis (emphatic leis-sean)

1. third-person singular masculine of le

Adverb

leis

1. also
2. (with negative) too, either

Synonyms

• (also): chomh maith, fosta, freisin

Etymology 3

From Old Irish leis (“uncovered, bare”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l????/

Adverb

leis

1. uncovered, exposed

References

• (prepositional pronoun): Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. I, p. 196.
• (prepositional pronoun): Tomás de Bhaldraithe, 1977, Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge: An Deilbhíocht, 2nd edition, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, section 308.

Old Occitan

Alternative forms

• lieis
• lieys

Pronoun

leis

1. emphatic oblique of ela: her
   • c. 1110, Guilhèm de Peitieus, canso:

     Quar senes lieys non puesc viure [...].

     For without her I cannot live.

   • c. 1160, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, vers:

     Qu'ilh val tant e m'es tan coraus, / Que ja de lieis no·m venra maus.

     For she is worth so much and is such a part of my heart that no ill will ever come to me from her.

Declension

Portuguese

Noun

leis

1. plural of lei

Scots

Noun

leis

1. (South Scots) lies

Verb

leis

1. third-person singular simple present indicative form of lei

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [le?]

Preposition

leis

1. Alternative form of le

Usage notes

• This is the form is used before the definite article.

Pronoun

leis

1. with him, by him
2. with it, by it

Derived terms

• leis-san

See also

• leatha