Najmniejszym

Najmniejszym is a form of the Polish adjective najmniejszy, which means "the smallest." It is not a separate word with a fixed meaning; it is a grammatical form used to modify a noun. Specifically, najmniejszym is the instrumental and locative singular form of the superlative adjective najmniejszy and is used with masculine or neuter nouns in those cases.

In Polish, adjectives decline by gender, number and case. For feminine nouns, other forms are used, for example najmniejsza (nominative singular), najmniejszą (instrumental singular), najmniejszej (genitive or locative singular). The plural forms include najmniejsi (masculine personal nominative), najmniejsze (neuter nominative), and corresponding genitive, instrumental, and locative variations.

Common uses and examples:

- Przy najmniejszym wysiłku udało się. (With the least effort, it succeeded.) Here najmniejszym accompanies a masculine noun in the locative or instrumental context.

- W najmniejszym stopniu nie zgadzam się. (I do not agree at all / to the smallest degree.) This expresses degree with a masculine noun in locative form.

Etymology and relation to other forms:

Najmniejszym derives from najmniejszy, itself the superlative of mały (small). The prefix naj- marks the highest degree, and the form adapts to Polish case and gender as the sentence requires.

See also: najmniejszy, the base form of the adjective, and related inflected forms across genders and cases.