Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
infinitesima
English answer:
infinitely small parts
Added to glossary by
Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.
Dec 22, 2003 20:13
20 yrs ago
English term
United States
aided expression: multilingual, multiart
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 3 more.
infinitesima
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
poetry
Not a typo. Used in a poem:
"the motoring infinitesima of frictive will" [i.e. ants hollowing out human bone]
"the motoring infinitesima of frictive will" [i.e. ants hollowing out human bone]
Responses
| 4 +1 | infinitely small parts (or the like) |
Richard Benham
|
| 4 +2 | tiny things |
Kpy
|
| 5 | an amount too small to be counted |
Catherine Bolton
|
| 4 +1 | incremental incursions |
Laurel Porter (X)
|
| 3 | Çäåñü "áåñêîíå÷íîñòü" |
scherfas
|
Responses
+1
4 hrs
Richard Benham
France
France
Native in English
&
English
France
When quality counts
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Selected
infinitely small parts (or the like)
"infinitesima" is the neuter plural of "infinitesimus", a mediaeval pseudo-Latin coinage which literally means "infinitieth" (like "fortieth", "fiftieth", or whatever). Like English ordinals, Latin ordinals can refer to fractions of something: you can come tenth in a race, but you can also get a tenth of the proceeds of a sale. So an "infinitesimum" (neuter) is literally an "infinitieth part" of something, i.e. an infintely small part. "Infinitesima" is just the plural of this.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Laurel Porter (X)
: Erudite and helpful, as always.
25 mins
|
|
Thanks Laurel.
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Splendid confirmation. I'll let this go to the glossary, even though a definition was not my own objective."
+2
3 mins
tiny things
Declined
OED
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Note added at 2003-12-22 20:22:20 (GMT)
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literally it means infinitely small
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Note added at 2003-12-22 20:23:38 (GMT)
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should have said infinitely small things
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Note added at 2003-12-22 20:22:20 (GMT)
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literally it means infinitely small
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Note added at 2003-12-22 20:23:38 (GMT)
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should have said infinitely small things
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Chris Rowson (X)
: I think "tiny things" is just fine. I always had a problem with "infinitely small" - for me, that should mean so small it doesn´t exist. Infinitesima ~= trivia.
10 mins
|
|
Yes, thanks. The notes were just an explanation.
|
|
| agree |
Nado2002
2 hrs
|
6 mins
an amount too small to be counted
Declined
According to Webster's, an infinitesimal (n) is a quantity too small to be counted.
Root: Mod.L. "Infinitesimus" from Latin "infinitus", meaning "limitless".
Root: Mod.L. "Infinitesimus" from Latin "infinitus", meaning "limitless".
+1
7 mins
incremental incursions
Declined
or tiny, gradual bits of progress...
In this context, at least.
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Note added at 2003-12-23 01:23:04 (GMT)
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Interesting to have an answer \"declined\" - it\'s new to me. I didn\'t know the what the asker wanted, since she gave no indication. Reading the belated notes, perhaps Ms. Holm would have been better served had she clearly asked \"Does this word exist, and if so, what does it mean\"? Given that framework, and taking Richard\'s Latin nuggets into consideration, I still would stand by my poor declined answer in this context.
In this context, at least.
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Note added at 2003-12-23 01:23:04 (GMT)
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Interesting to have an answer \"declined\" - it\'s new to me. I didn\'t know the what the asker wanted, since she gave no indication. Reading the belated notes, perhaps Ms. Holm would have been better served had she clearly asked \"Does this word exist, and if so, what does it mean\"? Given that framework, and taking Richard\'s Latin nuggets into consideration, I still would stand by my poor declined answer in this context.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ulrike Lieder (X)
: Yes, that seems to fit best in this context.
1 hr
|
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Danke, Ulrike - context is king!
|
21 mins
Çäåñü "áåñêîíå÷íîñòü"
Declined
Ìîæåò áûòü, ÷òî-òî âðîäå "áåñêîíå÷íîñòü ãðûçó÷åé âîëè". Âñ¸ æå ñòèõ...
Comment: "can't read it"
Discussion