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Infinitesimal vs Diminutive - What's the difference?

infinitesimal | diminutive |

As adjectives the difference between infinitesimal and diminutive

is that infinitesimal is incalculably, exceedingly, or immeasurably minute; vanishingly small while diminutive is very small.

As nouns the difference between infinitesimal and diminutive

is that infinitesimal is a non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number (by definition it is not a real number) while diminutive is a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

infinitesimal

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Incalculably, exceedingly, or immeasurably minute; vanishingly small.
  • *
  • (mathematics) Of or pertaining to values that approach zero as a limit.
  • (informal) Very small.

    • Usage notes

    * Strictly, this adjective, like infinite, is incomparable, so more infinitesimal' and '''most infinitesimal are proscribed, especially in the mathematical sense. However, these forms do occur in informal usage, where the ''very small (but measurable) sense is most common.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * infinite * enormous

    Noun

    (wikipedia infinitesimal) (en noun)
  • (mathematics) A non-zero quantity whose magnitude is smaller than any positive number (by definition it is not a real number).

    • Antonyms

    * infinity

    Derived terms

    * infinitesimal calculus * infinitesimally

    diminutive

    English

    Alternative forms

    *

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Very small.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 20 , author=Jamie Lillywhite , title=Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Roman Sharonov rose unchallenged to head a corner wide, while diminutive winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz ghosted in with a diving header from the edge of the six-yard box that was acrobatically kept out by Gomes.}}
  • Serving to diminish.
  • * Shaftesbury
    • diminutive of liberty
  • (grammar) Of or pertaining to, or creating a word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.

    • Synonyms

    * (very small) lilliputian, tiny

    Antonyms

    * (very small) huge, gigantic * augmentative

    Noun

    (wikipedia diminutive) (en noun)
  • (grammar) A word form expressing smallness, youth, unimportance, or endearment.
    • Booklet, the diminutive of book, means ‘small book’ .

    Synonyms

    * nomen deminutivum

    Antonyms

    * augmentative

    External links

    * (wikipedia "diminutive")

    Related terms

    * diminish * dimwit ----