different between leyser vs lesser

Middle English

Alternative forms

• leisier, leysure, leysoure, laysere, laysure, lasere, leaser

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French leisir, laisir, variants of loisir.

Noun

leyser

1. leisure

   Whan that she may hir leyser wel espie. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.

Descendants

• English: leisure
• Yola: lizure

References

• “leiser, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

English

Etymology

less +? -er

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?l?s?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?l?s?/
• Rhymes: -?s?(?)
• Hyphenation: less?er

Adjective

lesser

1. comparative form of little: more little
2. Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc.

   Antonym: greater

   lesser panda, lesser yellowlegs

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

lesser (plural lessers)

1. a thing that is of smaller size, value, importance etc.

   the lesser of two evils

   The greater sand hills increasingly do not migrate, but almost all lessers do.

Related terms

• less
• lesser of two evils
• fewer

Translations

Anagrams

• Elsers, Eslers, resels, sleers

Old French

Verb

lesser

1. Alternative form of laissier

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ss, *-sss, *-sst are modified to s, s, st. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.