maesnis

Mažesnis is the Lithuanian comparative form of the adjective mazas, meaning smaller or lesser in size, amount, or degree. It is used to compare two or more entities and is formed with the standard comparative suffix -esnis.

In standard spelling, the form is mażesnis? No, it is ma ž es nis with diacritics: mažesnis. The feminine singular is mažesnė, the masculine plural mažesni, and the feminine plural mažesnės. Neuter forms follow regular Lithuanian adjective declension patterns. The ASCII variant maesnis is commonly found in non-diacritic texts and is generally considered nonstandard for formal writing.

Usage notes: Mažesnis can describe physical size as well as lesser extent, intensity, or frequency when used with nouns or adverbs. It appears in constructions such as X yra mažesnis nei Y (X is smaller than Y) or mažesnis už X. It can modify nouns directly or appear after linking verbs. In contrast, the adverbial degree form mažiau means “less” in a non-adjectival sense.

Etymology: It derives from mazas (small) plus the comparative suffix -esnis, a common pattern for Lithuanian adjectives. The form is cognate with similar Baltic-language comparative constructions.

See also: mazas, didelis, didesnis, mažesnė.