מָעַט a primitive root; properly, to pare off, i.e. lessen; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective): suffer to decrease, diminish, (be, X borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness), gather least (little), be (seem) little, (X give the) less, be minished, bring to nothing.