smidgen

== English == === Etymology === 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”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsmɪd͡ʒɪn/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsmɪd͡ʒɪn/, /-ən/ Rhymes: -ɪdʒɪn, -ɪdʒən Hyphenation: smidg‧en === Noun === smidgen (plural smidgens) (originally US, informal) Chiefly in the form a smidgen of: a very small amount or quantity; a bit, a trace. Synonyms: drop, pinch, smidge, smidget, smidgy, (originally Scotland, chiefly US) smitch, touch; see also Thesaurus:modicum Antonyms: see Thesaurus:lot (by extension) 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. (small): Synonyms: (sometimes offensive) dwarf, (sometimes offensive) midget, pipsqueak, (informal) shorty (small): Antonyms: see Thesaurus:giant (insignificant): Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonentity (insignificant): Antonyms: see Thesaurus:important person ==== Alternative forms ==== smidgeon, smidgin ==== Derived terms ==== a smidgen (adverb) ==== Translations ==== === References === === Anagrams === Demings, Dengism