smidgen

Meaning

1. (informal) Chiefly in the form a smidgen of: a very small amount or quantity; a bit, a trace.
2. (broadly, informal) Chiefly in the form a smidgen of a: a very small or insignificant person or thing; also, an instance of such a person or thing.

Opposite of

modicum, dwarf, elf, midget, worthless person, little guy, nonentity, peasant, peon, pleb, plebe, prole, shrimp

Synonyms

smidgin

smidge

iota

scintilla

shred

smidgeon

tad

tittle

whit

trace

trifle

dash

💨

soupcon

speck

spot

bit

grain

tiny bit

modicum

particle

particulate

pinch

tiny amount

Translations

chouïa

kleine Menge

Quentchen

klitzekleines bisschen

Quäntchen

insignifiant

petit

iota

briciolo

iota

fragmento

pingo

pouco

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsmɪd͡ʒən/

Etymology

Cognate with Middle Low German: smudde

Cognate with Middle High German: smotzen

In summary

Origin uncertain; possibly from smitch (“(originally Scotland, chiefly US) very small amount or quantity”) + possibly -in (a variant of -ing (suffix forming nouns denoting things considered collectively)). Smitch is possibly:
* derived from smitch (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; spot of dirt; blemish; dirt, grime”), a variant of smeech (“(southwest England) (dense or pungent) smoke; airborne dust”), from Middle English smeche, smek, smiche (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; cloud of smoke; fumes, vapour; smell”), from Old English smēc, smīc (“smoke; steam; vapour”), from Proto-West Germanic *smauki (“smoke”), related to Proto-Germanic *smeukaną (“to fume, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *smewgʰ- (“smoke”); or
* borrowed from Scots smitch (“smudge, stain; blemish; very small amount, speck, trace; small insignificant person”), possibly a variant of English smutch (“dirty mark, smudge, stain; dirt, grime; slight indication”) (probably related to smudge, ultimate etymology unknown) and influenced by English smit (“(UK, dialectal) a stain”).