wee

[ wee ]

adjective

weer, weest.

1. little; very small.

   Synonyms: minuscule, diminutive, tiny

2. very early:

   in the wee hours of the morning.

wee

¹

/ wiː /

adjective

1. very small; tiny; minute

noun

1. a short time (esp in the phrase bide a wee. )

wee

²

/ wiː /

noun

1. 1. the act or an instance of urinating
   2. urine

verb

1. intr to urinate

Word History and Origins

Origin of wee¹

before 1150 for an earlier sense; Middle English we, variant of wei (small) quantity, Old English wēg, Anglian form of wǣge weight, akin to wegan to weigh ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of wee¹

C13: from Old English wǣg weight

Origin of wee²

of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Honestly, I barely gave a caramelized fig about wee Toby being held hostage.

From Los Angeles Times

A County Tyrone family have said nothing is going to bring their "wee rascal" back as a man was jailed for five years for killing the nine-year-old in a hit-and-run crash.

From BBC

"There is a shame for wee boys that they feel like they cannot come out and tell people - there is a stigma around sexual abuse in boys."

From BBC

It set up solar-charged streetlights so girls could feel more confident walking to school in the wee hours.

From Salon

The accused posted: "Kory, wee man, you will actually get decapitated."

From BBC

Related Words

• microscopic
• teeny