size
/saɪz/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.13 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A specific set of dimensions for a manufactured article, especially clothing.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An instrument consisting of a number of perforated gauges fastened together at one end by a rivet, used for measuring the size of pearls
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Ellipsis of chili size (“hamburger served with chili con carne”).
American usage; Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The size of the building seemed to have increased since I was last there."
- "Ashley: Look at the size of that ship! Kaidan: The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel fleet. Joker: Well, size isn't everything. Ashley: Why so touchy, Joker? Joker: I'm just saying you need firepower, too."
- "[The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, […]."
- "I don't think we have the red one in your size."
- "What size are you? I mean, what size shoes do you take?"
- "men of a less size and quality**"
Etymology
Attested since the 14th century, originally meant a “law or regulation that determines the amount to be paid”, from Middle English syse, sise (“regulation, control, limit”), from Old French cise, sise, aphetism of assise (“assize”), from the verb asseoir (“to sit down”), from Latin assidēre, composed of ad- (“to, towards, at”) + sedeō (“sit; settle down”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed-. Displaced native Old English miċelnes (literally “bigness”).