less

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

   less interesting

2. 2
   adv

   comparative of little

   I walk less than I should.

3. 3
   adj

   (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer

   less than three weeks

4. 4
   adj

   usually preceded by 'no', lower in quality

   I was told that my essay should be no less than perfect.

5. 5
   adv

   comparative degree of little

   I slept even less last night than I did the night before.

6. 6
   adv

   Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.

   Randal is less welcome than Rachel but as her spouse we should invite them both.

7. 7
   adv

   To a smaller extent or degree.

   The grammar book was less than (that is, not at all) helpful.

8. 8
   det

   comparative form of little: more little; of inferior size, degree or extent; smaller, lesser.

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

Etymology

Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”). According to Kroonen (2013), from a northern Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he connects to Lithuanian liesas (“lean”). Determiner and preposition from Middle English lees, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣssa (“less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisizan-, from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, few…