Bible Lexicons

מָעַט

(1) Arabic معِطَ to be smooth naked, hence to be polished, sharp; see מָעֹט ; transp. مَعَطَ prob. to scrape, to scrape off (comp. معس to rub, also מָרַט, since ע and ר are kindred letters to each other), whence מְעַט prop. a scraping, scrap (ein Span, Spänchen), hence a little. Hence comes the denom.

(2) to be little, few. Leviticus 25:16, לְפִי מְעֹט הַשָּׁים “according to the fewness of the years,” Exodus 12:4; Nehemiah 9:32 also to be made few, to be diminished, Psalms 107:39; Isaiah 21:17; Proverbs 13:11.

Piel מִעֵט intrans. i.q. Kal, Ecclesiastes 12:3.

Hiphil, הִמְעִיט

(1) to make few, to diminish, Levit. 25:16 Numbers 26:54, 33:54 Jerem. 10:24, פֶּן־תַּמְעִיטֵנִי “lest thou makest me (the people) few,” or “diminishest;” Ezekiel 29:15.

(2) to make, or do anything a little, or in a slight degree (etwas in geringer Menge, in geringem Maaßbe thun). Numbers 11:32, הַמַּמְעִיט אָסַף עֲשָׂרָה חֳמָרִים “he who had (gathered) a little, had gathered ten homers.” Exodus 16:17, 18 Exodus 16:18; 2 Kings 4:3, “borrow empty vessels אַל־תַּמְעִיטִי sc. לִשְׁאֹל (borrow) not a few.” Specially to give few, Numbers 35:8; Exodus 30:15. [Hence the following words.]

הַמַּמְעִ֕יט הממעיט וְהִ֨מְעַטְתִּ֔ים וְהִמְעִ֖יטָה וְהַמַּמְעִ֖יט וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃ וַיִּמְעֲט֥וּ והממעיט והממעיט׃ והמעטתים והמעיטה וימעטו יִמְעַ֣ט יִמְעָ֑ט יִמְעָ֑טוּ יִמְעָ֔טוּ יַמְעִ֔יט יַמְעִֽיט׃ ימעט ימעטו ימעיט ימעיט׃ מְעֹ֣ט מעט תִּמְעָֽטוּ׃ תַּמְעִ֑יטוּ תַּמְעִ֖יט תַּמְעִ֣יט תַּמְעִֽיטִי׃ תַּמְעִטֵֽנִי׃ תמעטו׃ תמעטני׃ תמעיט תמעיטו תמעיטי׃ ham·mam·‘îṭ hammam‘îṭ hammamIt mə‘ōṭ mə·‘ōṭ meOt tam‘îṭ tam‘iṭênî tam‘îṭî tam‘îṭū tam·‘i·ṭê·nî tam·‘î·ṭî tam·‘î·ṭū tam·‘îṭ tamIt tamiTeni tamIti tamItu tim‘āṭū tim·‘ā·ṭū timAtu vaiyimaTu vehammamIt veHimatTim vehimItah way·yim·‘ă·ṭū wayyim‘ăṭū wə·ham·mam·‘îṭ wə·him·‘aṭ·tîm wə·him·‘î·ṭāh wəhammam‘îṭ wəhim‘aṭtîm wəhim‘îṭāh yam‘îṭ yam·‘îṭ yamIt yim‘aṭ yim‘āṭ yim‘āṭū yim·‘ā·ṭū yim·‘aṭ yim·‘āṭ yimAt yimAtu