smidgen means chiefly in the form a smidgen of: a very small amount or quantity; a bit, a trace. It carries an Arena rating of 1716, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, smidgen ranks #96 of 40,262 for Qualifying, #1,079 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,058 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #6,134 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words.
smidgen is pronounced /ˈsmɪd͡ʒɪn/.
Why “smidgen” is a great word
A very small amount or quantity; a bit or a trace. Its origin is uncertain, possibly from Scots *smitch* ("a very small amount, a jot") combined with the noun-forming suffix *-in*, where *smitch* may itself be derived from or related to words for smoke, smudge, or a small spot. Unlike a *scintilla*, a formal spark of evidence, or a *portion*, a defined share of a whole, a smidgen is the cheerfully imprecise unit of culinary intuition and domestic craft. It is the pinch of salt tossed from the heel of a palm, the last faint scrape of jam at the bottom of the jar, the few spare drops of cream that turn black coffee beige—a whisper of presence that proves the quiet sufficiency of the almost-nothing.
Etymology
Origin uncertain; possibly from smitch (“(originally Scotland, chiefly US) very small amount or quantity”) + possibly -in (a variant of -ing (suffix forming nouns denoting things considered collectively)). Smitch is possibly:
* derived from smitch (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; spot of dirt; blemish; dirt, grime”), a variant of smeech (“(southwest England) (dense or pungent) smoke; airborne dust”), from Middle English smeche, smek, smiche (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; cloud of smoke; fumes, vapour; smell”), from Old English smēc, smīc (“smoke; steam; vapour”), from Proto-West Germanic *smauki (“smoke”), related to Proto-Germanic *smeukaną (“to fume, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *smewgʰ- (“smoke”); or
* borrowed from Scots smitch (“smudge, stain; blemish; v
noun
- Chiefly in the form a smidgen of: a very small amount or quantity; a bit, a trace.e.g.“Move it a smidgen to the right.”
- Chiefly in the form a smidgen of a: a very small or insignificant person or thing; also, an instance of such a person or thing.e.g.“In fifty years, did you ever have a vacation, you little, silly, half-pint, smidgin of a wife?”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.