different between small vs deficient

English

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sm??l/
• • Rhymes: -??l
• (US)
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /sm?l/
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /smo?l/

Etymology

From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ?????? (mályj, “small”).

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.

2. (figuratively) Young, as a child.

3. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
4. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
   • 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling

     A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

5. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.

6. (archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.

Synonyms

• (not large or big): little, microscopic, minuscule, minute, tiny; see also Thesaurus:tiny
• (young, as a child): little, wee (Scottish), young
• (of written letters): lowercase, minuscule

Antonyms

• See also Thesaurus:large
• (not large or big): capital, big, generous (said of an amount of something given), large
• (young, as a child): adult, grown-up, old
• (of written letters): big, capital, majuscule, uppercase

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallest)

1. In a small fashion. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. In or into small pieces.
   • 2009, Ingrid Hoffman, CBS Early Morning for September 28, 2009 (transcription)

     That's going to go in there. We've got some chives small chopped as well.

3. (obsolete) To a small extent.
4. (obsolete) In a low tone; softly.

Derived terms

• writ small

Noun

small (plural smalls)

1. (rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

Derived terms

• small of the back

Verb

small (third-person singular simple present smalls, present participle smalling, simple past and past participle smalled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less.
2. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.
   • 1917, Thomas Hardy, The Clock of the Years

     And smalled till she was nought at all.

Anagrams

• malls

Icelandic

Verb

small (strong)

1. first-person singular past indicative of smella
2. third-person singular past indicative of smella

Low German

Etymology

From Middle Low German smal, from Old Saxon smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz. Cognate with German schmal, Dutch smal, English small.

Adjective

small (comparative smaller, superlative smallst)

1. narrow
2. small, slender

Declension

Middle English

Adjective

small

1. Alternative form of smal

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

small

1. (non-standard since 2005) past tense of smelle

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

small

1. past tense of smella

Swedish

Verb

small

1. past tense of smälla.

Anagrams

• malls

English

Etymology

From Latin deficiens, present participle of deficere (“to lack, fail, be wanting”); see defect.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??f???nt/
• Rhymes: -???nt

Adjective

deficient (comparative more deficient, superlative most deficient)

1. Lacking something essential; often construed with in.
2. Insufficient or inadequate in amount.
3. (mathematics) Of a number n, Having the sum of divisors ?(n)<2n, or, equivalently, the sum of proper divisors (or aliquot sum) s(n)<n.

Related terms

• defect
• defection
• defective
• defector
• deficiency
• deficit

Translations

Further reading

• deficient in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• deficient in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin d?fici?ns.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /d?.fi.si?ent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /d?.fi.si?en/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /de.fi.si?ent/

Adjective

deficient (masculine and feminine plural deficients)

1. deficient

Related terms

• deficiència

Further reading

• “deficient” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Latin

Verb

d?ficient

1. third-person plural future active indicative of d?fici?

Romanian

Etymology

From French déficient

Adjective

deficient m or n (feminine singular deficient?, masculine plural deficien?i, feminine and neuter plural deficiente)

1. deficient

Declension