*litt*

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Belittled p. pr. & vb. n. Belittling. ] To make little or less in a moral sense; to speak of in a depreciatory or contemptuous way. T. Jefferson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. circum- + L. littus, littoris, shore; preferable form, litus, litoris. ] Adjointing the shore. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures, as of male insects such as crickets or grasshoppers.
Syn. -- stridulate. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who performs little though professing much. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Great talkers are commonly dolittles. Bp. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Deafening; disagreeably loud or shrill; as, ear-splitting strains. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To flutter. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To flutter; to move quickly; as, to flitter the cards. [ R. ] Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. G. flitter spangle, tinsel, flittern to make a tremulous motion, to glitter. Cf. Flitter, v. i. ] A rag; a tatter; a small piece or fragment. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Flitter, v.i. + mouse; cf. G. fledermaus, OHG. fledarmūs. Cf. Flickermouse, Flindermouse. ] (Zool.) A bat; -- called also flickermouse, flindermouse, and flintymouse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. A term applied to the bark obtained from young oak trees. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Flitty. ] Unsteadiness; levity; lightness. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hopkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A flying with lightness and celerity; a fluttering. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A removal from one habitation to another. [ Scot. & Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A neighbor had lent his cart for the flitting, and it was now standing loaded at the door, ready to move away. Jeffrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a flitting manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Flit. ] Unstable; fluttering. [ Obs. ] Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. Contention; strife; scolding; specif., a kind of metrical contest between two persons, popular in Scotland in the 16th century. [ Obs. or Scot. ]

These “flytings” consisted of alternate torrents of sheer Billingsgate poured upon each other by the combatants. Saintsbury. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Glittered p. pr. & vb. n. Glittering. ] [ OE. gliteren; akin to Sw. glittra, Icel. glitra, glita, AS. glitenian, OS. glītan, OHG. glīzzan, G. gleissen, Goth. glitmunjan, and also to E. glint, glisten, and prob. glance, gleam. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To sparkle with light; to shine with a brilliant and broken light or showy luster; to gleam; as, a glittering sword. [ 1913 Webster ]

The field yet glitters with the pomp of war. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be showy, specious, or striking, and hence attractive; as, the glittering scenes of a court.

Syn. -- To gleam; to glisten; to shine; to sparkle; to glare. See Gleam, Flash. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A bright, sparkling light; brilliant and showy luster; brilliancy; as, the glitter of arms; the glitter of royal equipage. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Glittering. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a glittering manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes excessively fine or needless distinctions in reasoning; one who quibbles. “The caviling hairsplitter.” De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Making excessively fine or trivial distinctions in reasoning; overly subtle. -- n. The act or practice of making trivial distinctions. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ancient hairsplitting technicalities of special pleading. Charles Sumner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A carriage hung on poles, and borne by and between two horses. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. litière, LL. lectaria, fr. L. lectus couch, bed. See Lie to be prostrated, and cf. Coverlet. ] 1. A bed or stretcher so arranged that a person, esp. a sick or wounded person, may be easily carried in or upon it. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is a litter ready; lay him in 't. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Straw, hay, etc., scattered on a floor, as bedding for animals to rest on; also, a covering of straw for plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

To crouch in litter of your stable planks. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Take off the litter from your kernel beds. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Things lying scattered about in a manner indicating slovenliness; scattered rubbish. [ 1913 Webster ]

Strephon, who found the room was void.
Stole in, and took a strict survey
Of all the litter as it lay. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Disorder or untidiness resulting from scattered rubbish, or from thongs lying about uncared for; as, a room in a state of litter. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The young brought forth at one time, by a cat, dog, sow or other multiparous animal, taken collectively. Also Fig. [ 1913 Webster ]

A wolf came to a sow, and very kindly offered to take care of her litter. D. Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

Reflect upon that numerous litter of strange, senseless opinions that crawl about the world. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Littered p. pr. & vb. n. Littering. ] 1. To supply with litter, as cattle; to cover with litter, as the floor of a stall. [ 1913 Webster ]

Tell them how they litter their jades. Bp. Hackett. [ 1913 Webster ]

For his ease, well littered was the floor. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To put into a confused or disordered condition; to strew with scattered articles; as, to litter a room. [ 1913 Webster ]

The room with volumes littered round. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To give birth to; to bear; -- said of brutes, esp. those which produce more than one at a birth, and also of human beings, in abhorrence or contempt. [ 1913 Webster ]

We might conceive that dogs were created blind, because we observe they were littered so with us. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

The son that she did litter here,
A freckled whelp hagborn. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To be supplied with litter as bedding; to sleep or make one's bed in litter. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The inn
Where he and his horse littered. Habington. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To produce a litter. [ 1913 Webster ]

A desert . . . where the she-wolf still littered. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] One who occupies himself with literature; a literary man; a literatus. “ Befriended by one kind-hearted littérateur after another.” C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. one who helps carry a stretcher.
Syn. -- stretcher-bearer. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a bin (usually in or outside a public building) into which the public can put rubbish.
Syn. -- litterbasket. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a person who litters public places with refuse.
Syn. -- litterer, litter lout. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. having articles scattered about in a disorderly fashion.
Syn. -- cluttered, messy, mussy, untidy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a person who litters public places with refuse.
Syn. -- litterbug, litter lout. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One of two or more animals born into the same litter. [ PJC ]

a. Covered or encumbered with litter; consisting of or constituting litter. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a small quantity or degree; not much; slightly; somewhat; -- often with a preceding it. “ The poor sleep little.” Otway. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ The regular comparative and superlative of this word, littler and littlest, are often used as comparatives of the sense small; but in the sense few, less, or, rarely, lesser is the proper comparative and least is the superlative. See Lesser. The regular form, littlest, occurs also in some of the English provinces, and occasionally in colloquial language. “ Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear.” Shak. ] [ OE. litel, lutel, AS. l&ymacr_;tel, lītel, l&ymacr_;t; akin to OS. littil, D. luttel, LG. lütt, OHG. luzzil, MHG. lützel; and perh. to AS. lytig deceitful, lot deceit, Goth. liuts deceitful, lutōn to deceive; cf. also Icel. lītill little, Sw. liten, Dan. liden, lille, Goth. leitils, which appear to have a different root vowel. ] 1. Small in size or extent; not big; diminutive; -- opposed to big or large; as, a little body; a little animal; a little piece of ground; a little hill; a little distance; a little child. [ 1913 Webster ]

He sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. Luke xix. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Short in duration; brief; as, a little sleep. [ 1913 Webster ]

Best him enough: after a little time,
I'll beat him too. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Small in quantity or amount; not much; as, a little food; a little air or water. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conceited of their little wisdoms, and doting upon their own fancies. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Small in dignity, power, or importance; not great; insignificant; contemptible. [ 1913 Webster ]

When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes? I Sam. xv. 17. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Small in force or efficiency; not strong; weak; slight; inconsiderable; as, little attention or exertion;little effort; little care or diligence. [ 1913 Webster ]

By sad experiment I know
How little weight my words with thee can find. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous. [ 1913 Webster ]

The long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise,
Because their natures are little. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Little chief. (Zool.) See Chief hare. --
Little Englander, an Englishman opposed to territorial expansion of the British Empire. See Antiimperialism, above. Hence:
Little Englandism. --
Little finger, the fourth and smallest finger of the hand. --
Little go (Eng. Universities), a public examination about the middle of the course, which is less strict and important than the final one; -- called also smalls. Cf. Great go, under Great. Thackeray. --
Little hours (R. C. Ch.), the offices of prime, tierce, sext, and nones. Vespers and compline are sometimes included. --
Little-neck clam, or
Little neck (Zool.), the quahog, or round clam. --
Little ones, young children. [ 1913 Webster ]

The men, and the women, and the little ones. Deut. ii. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

--
Little peach, a disease of peaches in which the fruit is much dwarfed, and the leaves grow small and thin. The cause is not known. --
Little Rhod"y Rhode Island; -- a nickname alluding to its small size. It is the smallest State of the United States. --
Little Sisters of the Poor (R. C. Ch.), an order of women who care for old men and women and infirm poor, for whom special houses are built. It was established at St. Servan, Britany, France, in 1840, by the Abbé Le Pailleur. --
Little slam (Bridge Whist), the winning of 12 out of the 13 tricks. It counts 20 points on the honor score. Contrasted with grand slam. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

n. 1. That which is little; a small quantity, amount, space, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

Much was in little writ. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

There are many expressions, which carrying with them no clear ideas, are like to remove but little of my ignorance. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A small degree or scale; miniature. “ His picture in little.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A little, to or in a small degree; to a limited extent; somewhat; for a short time. “ Stay a little.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The painter flattered her a little. Shak.

--
By little and little, or
Little by little, by slow degrees; piecemeal; gradually. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An old slang name for the pillory, stocks, etc., of a prison. [ Eng. ] Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a quahog when young and small; frequently eaten raw.
Syn. -- littleneck clam. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a young quahog suitable to be eaten raw.
Syn. -- littleneck clam. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The state or quality of being little; as, littleness of size, thought, duration, power, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Smallness; slightness; inconsiderableness; narrowness; insignificance; meanness; penuriousness. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. [ compar. of little. ] small or little relative to something else.
Syn. -- smaller. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. [ superl. of little. ] having or being distinguished by diminutive size.
Syn. -- least, smallest. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. littoralis, litoralis, from littus, litus, the seashore: cf. F. littoral. ] 1. Of or pertaining to a shore, as of the sea. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Inhabiting the seashore, esp. the zone between high-water and low-water mark. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Littoral. ] (Zool.) A genus of small pectinibranch mollusks, having thick spiral shells, abundant between tides on nearly all rocky seacoasts. They feed on seaweeds. The common periwinkle is a well-known example. See Periwinkle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A smooth kind of cartridge paper used for making cards. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A militant American black nationalist leader, also called Malcolm X; (1925-1965). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. (Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology) The goddess of love and fertility and war; also called Ishtar; the counterpart of Ashtoreth and Astarte.
Syn. -- Ishtar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. (Elec.) A device by which a single-phase current is split into two or more currents differing in phase. It is used in starting single-phase induction motors. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) The dephasing of the two parts of a single alternating current in two dissimilar branches of a given circuit. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]