Inherited fromDutchklein, fromMiddle Dutchcleine, fromOld Dutchcleini, fromProto-West Germanic*klainī.
klein (attributiveklein,comparativekleiner,superlativekleinste)
- small,little
- Antonym:groot
Inflection ofklein | predicative | attributive | independent | partitive |
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singular | plural |
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positive | klein | kleine | kleines | kleins |
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comparative | kleiner | kleinere | kleineres | kleiners |
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superlative | kleinste | kleinstes | — |
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Inherited fromMiddle Dutchcleine, fromOld Dutchcleini, fromProto-West Germanic*klainī.
klein (comparativekleiner,superlativekleinst)
- small,little
- Antonym:groot
- almost
- Eenklein uur. ―Almost an hour.
Inherited fromMiddle High Germanklein,kleine, fromOld High Germankleini, fromProto-West Germanic*klainī(“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps fromProto-Indo-European*gleh₁y-(“to cleave, stick”).
Cognate withDutchklein andEnglishclean.Doublet ofclean. For a similar semantic development, cf.zierlich (orig. "decorative", today "petite").
klein (strong nominative masculine singularkleiner,comparativekleiner,superlativeamkleinsten)
- small,little,tiny,wee,small-scale
- Hänschen klein:
- L. Uhland,Klein Roland:
Frau Berta saß in der Felsenkluft, / Sie klagt ihr bitt'res Loos;Klein Roland spielt' in freier Luft; / Deß Klage war nicht groß. [nominative masculine]- (pleaseadd an English translation of this quotation)
- 1781, J. H. Campe (editor),Kleine Kinderbibliothek, 6th small volume, Hamburg, p. 43 (substantival use):
Mutter. OKleine, darnach frage mich nicht, die werden nie den lieben Gott sehen.- (pleaseadd an English translation of this quotation)
- 1882,Neuer deutscher Parnaß. Silberblicke aus der Lyrik unserer Tage, edited by Max Moltke, Leipzig, page 282, poemAm Ufer by Pauline Schanz:
Laß beide uns fliehn zu dem Englein hin, / Damit du nicht werdest, was ich jetzt bin: // Eine arme Mutter, verlassen, allein, / Verstoßen, verhöhnt, mit dem Kindchenklein! [dative neuter]- (pleaseadd an English translation of this quotation)
- little,young(in age)
- insignificant
Comparative forms ofklein
Superlative forms ofklein
- “klein” inDigitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “klein” in Uni Leipzig:Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “klein” inDuden online
Inherited fromMiddle Dutchcleine, fromOld Dutchcleini, fromProto-West Germanic*klainī.
klein (comparativekleiner,superlativekleins,predicative superlative'tkleins)
- small
klein
- feeble,awkward
- Synonyms:ynkelig,stakkarslig