lesser

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

▪ I. less·er BrE [ˈlesə(r)] NAmE [ˈlesər] adjective only before noun
1. not as great in size, amount or importance as sth/sb else
•people of lesser importance
•They were all involved to a greater or lesser degree (= some were more involved than others).
•The law was designed to protect wives, and, to a lesser extent, children.
•He was encouraged to plead guilty to the lesser offence.
• (humorous)He doesn't even acknowledge us lesser mortals (= people who are not as important or powerful).
•A lesser woman would have given up.
2. used in the names of some types of animals, birds and plants which are smaller than similar kinds
•a lesser black-backed gull
Opp: greater
Idioms: ↑lesser evil ▪ ↑lesser of two evils

Word Origin:
[lesser] Middle English: a double comparative, from ↑less + ↑-er.
 
▪ II. less·er adverb
•one of the lesser-known Caribbean islands
Main entry: ↑lesser_derived