size

• IPA^(key): /saɪz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪz
• Homophone: sighs

From Middle English syse, sise (“regulation, control, limit”), from Old French cise, sise, aphetism of assise (“assize”). Displaced native Middle English grete, grette (“size”) (from Old English grīetu, grȳtu (“size, greatness”)).

size (plural sizes)

1. (obsolete outside dialectal) An assize. [from 14th c.]
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, page 560:

     I know you would have women above the law, but it is all a lye; I heard his lordship say at size, that no one is above the law.

2. (obsolete) A regulation determining the amount of money paid in fees, taxes etc. [14th-18th c.]
3. (obsolete) A fixed standard for the magnitude, quality, quantity etc. of goods, especially food and drink. [15th-17th c.]
   • Shakespeare

     to scant my sizes

4. The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is. [from 15th c.]
   • 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     [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, […].

   The size of the building seemed to have increased since I was last there.

5. (obsolete) A regulation, piece of ordinance. [15th c.]
6. A specific set of dimensions for a manufactured article, especially clothing. [from 16th c.]

   I don't think we have the red one in your size.

7. (graph theory) A number of edges in a graph. [from 20th c.]
8. (figuratively, dated) Degree of rank, ability, character, etc.
   • L'Estrange

     men of a less size and quality

   • Jonathan Swift

     the middling or lower size of people

9. An instrument consisting of a number of perforated gauges fastened together at one end by a rivet, used for measuring the size of pearls.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

• See also Thesaurus:size

• Chinese:
  • Cantonese: size (saai1 si2)
• Japanese: サイズ (saizu)

size (third-person singular simple present sizes, present participle sizing, simple past and past participle sized)

1. (transitive) To adjust the size of; to make a certain size.
   • Francis Bacon

     a statute […] to size weights, and measures

2. (transitive) To classify or arrange by size.
   1. (military) To take the height of men, in order to place them in the ranks according to their stature.
   2. (mining) To sift (pieces of ore or metal) in order to separate the finer from the coarser parts.
3. (transitive, colloquial) To approximate the dimensions, estimate the size of.
4. (intransitive) To take a greater size; to increase in size.
   • John Donne

     Our desires give them fashion, and so, / As they wax lesser, fall, as they size, grow.

5. (Britain, Cambridge University slang, obsolete) To order food or drink from the buttery; hence, to enter a score, as upon the buttery book.
6. (transitive, obsolete) To swell; to increase the bulk of.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Beaumont and Fletcher to this entry?)

• (to adjust size): resize

From Middle English syse,[1] of unclear origin;[2] related to Old Italian sisa (“a glue used by painters”),[3] perhaps ultimately related to size / syse (“amount”),[2][3] or perhaps shortened from assisa, from assiso (“to make to sit, to seat, to place”)

size (plural sizes)

1. A thin, weak glue used as primer for paper or canvas intended to be painted upon.
2. Wallpaper paste.
3. The thickened crust on coagulated blood.
4. Any viscous substance, such as gilder's varnish.

size (third-person singular simple present sizes, present participle sizing, simple past and past participle sized)

1. (transitive) To apply glue or other primer to a surface which is to be painted.

• Size in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

• 晒士, 嘥士

Borrowed from English size.

size

1. (Cantonese) size

   • 有一個傻仔鄭人先用繩度自己腳的size，有一日想買鞋，不過去到市集先發現自己無帶條繩，所以唔知買鞋買咩size。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     有一个傻仔郑人先用绳度自己脚的size，有一日想买鞋，不过去到市集先发现自己无带条绳，所以唔知买鞋买咩size。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015, 史丹利, 睇淫故 學中文, 港股策略王, issue 40, page 79

     Jau⁵ jat¹ go³ so⁴ zai² zeng⁶ jan⁴ sin¹ jung⁶ sing^4-2 dok⁶ zi⁶ gei² goek³ dik¹ saai¹ si², jau⁵ jat¹ jat⁶ soeng² maai⁵ haai⁴, bat¹ gwo³ heoi³ dou³ si⁵ zaap⁶ sin¹ faat³ jin⁶ zi⁶ gei² mou⁵ daai³ tiu⁴ sing^4-2, so² ji⁵ m⁴ zi¹ maai⁵ haai⁴ maai⁵ me¹ saai¹ si². [Jyutping]

     There was a stupid guy who used only a string to measure the size of his feet; one day, he wanted to buy shoes, but only when he got to the market did he realize that he didn't bring his string, so he didn't know what shoe size to buy.

   • 經常在網上見到有人問甚麼波鞋應「買咩size好？」 [Cantonese, trad.]
     经常在网上见到有人问什么波鞋应“买咩size好？” [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, Jerald Li, 還要問買甚麼size嗎？15款大熱波鞋size攻略

     Ging¹ soeng⁴ zoi⁶ mong⁵ soeng⁶ gin³ dou^3-2 jau⁵ jan⁴ man⁶ sam⁶ mo¹ bo¹ haai⁴ jing¹ “maai⁵ me¹ saai¹ si² hou²?” [Jyutping]

     I always see people online asking something like "What size should I buy?" for sneakers

   • 戴住對唔啱size嘅白色勞工手套仔 [Cantonese, trad.]
     戴住对唔啱size嘅白色劳工手套仔 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, 莊偉忠 (Daniel Chong), 不離地的CEO, page 104

     daai³ zyu⁶ deoi³ m⁴ ngaam¹ saai¹ si² ge³ baak⁶ sik¹ lou⁴ gung¹ sau² tou³ zai² [Jyutping]

     wearing white workers' gloves of the wrong size

• 尺寸 (chǐcùn)

size

1. dative of siz (you – plural or polite)