wenig

Meaning

little, few (a small amount, a small number)

Frequency

A1
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈveːnɪç/
Etymology

From Middle High German weinec, wēnec (“marginal”), from Old High German *weinag, wēnag (“miserable”), from Proto-Germanic *wainagaz. The form with -ei- is original; that with -ē- arose through conflation with the morphologically simpler Old High German wē (“woe”), akin to English woe. The diphthong -ei- later on regularly became -ē- in several dialects, which further strengthened the monophthongal form wenig. Cognate with Dutch weinig, Hunsrik wenich, Yiddish ווייניק (veynik). The comparative minder comes from Middle High German minder, minre, minner; the Middle High German superlative is minnest, minst. Both are related to min.

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