A little, to or in a small degree; to a limited extent; somewhat;
for a short time. " Stay a little."
Shak.
The painter flattered her a little.
Shak.
-- By little and little, or Little by little, by slow degrees;
piecemeal; gradually.
Lit"tle, adv. In a small quantity or degree; not much; slightly;
somewhat; -- often with a preceding it. " The poor sleep little."
Otway.
Lit"tle-ease` (?), n. An old slang name for the pillory, stocks, etc.,
of a prison.[Eng.] Latimer.
Lit"tle*ness, n. The state or quality of being little; as, littleness
of size, thought, duration, power, etc.
Syn. -- Smallness; slightness; inconsiderableness; narrowness;
insignificance; meanness; penuriousness.
Lit"to*ral (?), a. [L. littoralis, litoralis, from littus, litus, the
seashore: cf. F. littoral.] 1. Of or pertaining to a shore, as of the
sea.
2. (Biol.) Inhabiting the seashore, esp. the zone between high-water
and low-water mark.
||Lit"to*ri"na (?), n. [NL. See Littoral.] (Zoöl.) 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.
||
Lit"tress (lt"trs), n. A smooth kind of cartridge paper used for making
cards. Knight.
Lit"u*ate (lt"u*t; 135), a. [See Lituus.] (Bot.) Forked, with the
points slightly curved outward.
Lit"u*i*form (?), a. [Lituus + -form.] Having the form of a lituus;
like a lituite.
Lit"u*ite (lt"u*t; 135), n. [See Lituus.] (Paleon.) Any species of
ammonites of the genus Lituites. They are found in the Cretaceous
formation.
Lit"u*rate (?), a. [L. lituratus, p. p. of liturare to erase, fr.
litura a blur.] 1. (Zoöl.) Having indistinct spots, paler at their
margins.