A2verb · intransitive · frequent

less

less · lesses · lessed · lessing

To make less; to lessenTo make less; to lessen.

ⓘⓘ

/lɛs/

» I have at least ten books.

Ich habe mindestens zehn Bücher.

У мене є принаймні десять книжок.

Meaning

1 senses

(archaic)To make less; to lessen.
1386-90, Gower, Confessio Amantis What he will make lesse, he lesseth.
verringern, verkleinern

Examples

4010 sentences

I have at least ten books.
У мене є принаймні десять книжок. — deniko
deIch habe mindestens zehn Bücher. — MUIRIEL
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
That's the least of my problems.
Це найменша з моїх проблем. — deniko
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
We've got less than an hour.
У нас менше години. — deniko
ruУ нас меньше часа. — odexed
deUns bleibt weniger als eine Stunde. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
The less you know, the better, OK?
Чим менше ти знаєш, тим краще, гаразд? — deniko
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
That probably cost less than a dollar.
Це, мабуть, коштувало менше долара. — deniko
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Origin

Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less

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”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

lesses, lessing, lessed, lessed

Base form	less · to less
3rd person singular	lesses
Present participle	lessing
Past simple	lessed
Past participle	lessed

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, they	less
he, she, it	lesses

Past simpleLesson

all persons

lessed

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, they	have lessed
he, she, it	has lessed

Future simple (will)Lesson

all persons

will less

Word family

13 related words

DerivedneverthelessB1 nonethelessB1 deuce less less-lethal lessness less so less than less-than-stellar much less natheless no less say less very less

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle

Collocations

12 patterns

at least least
least least
least least three
least least once
the least least
least least one
for at least
least least thirty
less than three
least least a
in less than
that at least