Less
/lɛs/noun
Smaller in amount, extent, or degree; not as much.
Did you know?English less comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root as Latin *laxus* (“loose”), so the idea behind it is ancient: what’s less is what has been loosened, reduced, or let go.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁leḱ-
“to let loose, slacken”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*laisizô / *laisiz
“smaller, less”
Old English
English
lǣs
“less, smaller, fewer”
Middle English
English
lesse
“less; not so much”
Modern English
English
less
“smaller in amount, extent, or degree”