Where does “меньшее” come from?
меньшее (Russian) comes from Russian ме́ньший, from Proto-Slavic mьňьjь, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.
меньшее (Russian): inflection of ме́ньший :
## neuter singular...
Definitions
- inflection of ме́ньший :
## neuter singular...
Ancestry of “меньшее”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | ме́ньший | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | mьňьjь | smaller, lesser; comparative degree of *malъ |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |