The Collaborative International Dictionary
Small \Small\ (sm[add]l), a. [Compar. Smaller; superl. Smallest.] [OE. small, AS. sm[ae]l; akin to D. smal narrow, OS. & OHG. smal small, G. schmal narrow, Dan. & Sw. smal, Goth. smals small, Icel. smali smal cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr. mh^lon a sheep or goat.]
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Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river.
To compare Great things with small.
--Milton. Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business.
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Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; -- sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean.
A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
--Carlyle. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space.
--Shak.-
Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud. ``A still, small voice.'' --1 Kings xix. 12. Great and small,of all ranks or degrees; -- used especially of persons. ``His quests, great and small.'' --Chaucer. Small arms, muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction from cannon. Small beer. See under Beer. Small coal.
Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires.
--Gay.-
Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from the coarser parts by screening.
Small craft (Naut.), a vessel, or vessels in general, of a small size.
Small fruits. See under Fruit.
Small hand, a certain size of paper. See under Paper.
Small hours. See under Hour.
Small letter. (Print.), a lower-case letter. See Lower-case, and Capital letter, under Capital, a.
Small piece, a Scotch coin worth about 21/4d. sterling, or about 41/2cents.
Small register. See the Note under 1st Register, 7.
Small stuff (Naut.), spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kinds of rope.
--R. H. Dana, Jr.Small talk, light or trifling conversation; chitchat.
Small wares (Com.), various small textile articles, as tapes, braid, tringe, and the like.
--M`Culloch.
Usage examples of "small craft".
Kulan Tith and his Kaolians stood wide-eyed and speechless with amazement as they saw thousands of these strange, fierce warriors emerge from the companion-way of the small craft that could not comfortably have accomodated more than fifty.
He could easily have eluded the battleship in his own small craft, but he couldn't leave the derelict.
Put in a lot of time handling small craft, and I've owned half a dozen good-sized boats of my own since.
He was already past the stern of the Re-9, the small craft with the powerful engine, and saw it being swallowed up by the fog behind him, when he received a terrible shock.
The man was in a small craft - as the report put it - which was precipitated suddenly out of subspace and fell toward this sun.
The terrible potentiality was that, behind this small craft, might be fleets of battleships, whereas he was alone.
When they arrived in Monaco Bay, there was a great array of ships and small craft and hundreds and hundreds of dolphins in the water.