
small
词源
源自古英语 smæl,与古高地德语 smal、古诺尔斯语 smali 同源,最初可能指细长的物体。
adjective
❶ 形容物体尺寸不大,比一般或预期的要小。可以指具体物品的体积,也可以形容抽象概念的程度。
“She lives in a small apartment in the city.”
(她住在城里的一间小公寓里。)
“The baby's hands are very small.”
(婴儿的手非常小。)
❶ 形容数量少或规模有限。常用于描述群体、金额或变化幅度等。
“Only a small number of people attended the meeting.”
(只有少数人参加了会议。)
“We're starting with a small budget this year.”
(今年我们启动的预算很少。)
noun
❶ 指小尺寸的物品或事物的较小部分。常用于服装尺码或物体的细节部位。
“This dress comes in small, medium and large.”
(这件连衣裙有小号、中号和大号。)
“The small of the back is a sensitive area.”
(腰部是敏感部位。)
常见短语
small talk — 指社交场合中的闲聊,通常是不涉及重要话题的轻松对话。
“We made some small talk about the weather before the meeting started.”
(会议开始前,我们闲聊了几句天气。)
small fortune — 形容花费了大量金钱,虽然字面意思是小财富,但实际表达花费很多。
“That designer bag cost me a small fortune.”
(那个设计师包包花了我一大笔钱。)
small hours — 指凌晨时分,通常是午夜到黎明前的几个小时。
“He worked until the small hours of the morning.”
(他一直工作到凌晨。)