poco

See also: POCO, póco, poço, po co, and PoCo

Asturian

Adjective

poco

  1. neuter of pocu

Interlingua

Noun

poco (plural pocos)

  1. little bit

Italian

Etymology

From Latin paucus, from Proto-Italic *paukos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ukos, derived from the root *peh₂w- (“few”, “little”). Compare French peu, Portuguese pouco, Spanish poco.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.ko/[1]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔko
  • Hyphenation: pò‧co

Adverb

poco

  1. little, not much
    • 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VII”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory], lines 64–66; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      Poco allungati c’eravam di lici,
      quand’io m’accorsi che ’l monte era scemo,
      a guisa che i vallon li sceman quici.
      Little had we withdrawn us from that place, when I perceived the mount was hollowed out in fashion as the valleys here are hollowed.
  2. (followed by an adjective) little, not very, poorly
  3. (time) a little, a while, a short time
    a tra poco ― see you later
    • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VIII”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 58–60; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      Dopo ciò poco vid’io quello strazio
      far di costui a le fangose genti,
      che Dio ancor ne lodo e ne ringrazio.
      A little after that, I saw such havoc made of him by the people of the mire, that still I praise and thank my God for it.

Determiner

poco (feminine poca, masculine plural pochi, feminine plural poche, superlative pochettino)

  1. little, not much
    • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXIX”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 114–117; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      e quei, ch’avea vaghezza e senno poco,
      volle ch’i’ li mostrassi l’arte; e solo
      perch’ io nol feci Dedalo, mi fece
      ardere a tal che l’avea per figliuolo.
      And he who had conceit, but little wit, would have me show to him the art; and only because no Dædalus I made him, made me be burned by one who held him as his son.
  2. few, not many
  3. short, little (of time)

Noun

poco m (invariable)

  1. little
    Synonym: po'
    • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XIV”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 68–70; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      Quei fu l’un d’i sette regi
      ch’assiser Tebe; ed ebbe e par ch’elli abbia
      Dio in disdegno, e poco par che ’l pregi
      One of the Seven Kings was he [Capaneus] who Thebes besieged, and held, and seems to hold God in disdain, and little seems to prize him

Pronoun

poco (feminine poca, masculine plural pochi, feminine plural poche) (indefinite)

  1. little, not much
    Antonym: molto
    • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto I”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 4–7; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura
      esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte
      che nel pensier rinova la paura!
      Tant’è amara che poco è più morte
      Oh! how hard a thing it is to say what was this forest savage, rough, and stern, which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is little more
  2. (in the plural) few, not many
    Antonym: molti
  3. nearly, not long, short, little (time)

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ “poco” in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Neapolitan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin paucus.

Pronunciation

  • (Naples) IPA(key): [ˈpɔːkə], (in sandhi) [-u]

Determiner

poco

  1. little

References

  • AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 985: “c'è poco pane” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

Portuguese

Verb

poco

  1. first-person singular present indicative of pocar

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ukos
Proto-Italic *paukos
Latin paucus
Old Spanish poco
Spanish poco

    Inherited from Old Spanish poco, from Latin paucus. Cognate with Catalan poc, French peu, Italian poco, and Portuguese pouco, as well as English few.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈpoko/ [ˈpo.ko]
    • Audio:(file)
    • Audio (Peru):(file)
    • Rhymes: -oko
    • Syllabification: po‧co

    Determiner

    poco m (plural pocos, feminine poca, feminine plural pocas, superlative poquísimo)

    1. little, not much
      Bebí poca agua.
      I drank little water.
      Nos casamos hace poco tiempo.
      We got married recently.
      (literally, “We got married a little time ago.”)
      • 2025 October 22, Mónica De Anda, “Video capta choque mortal en autopista 10 en Ontario; arrestan a conductor”, in KABC-TV‎[1], archived from the original on 24 October 2025:
        El accidente ocurrió en la autopista 10 en dirección oeste, justo al este de la autopista 15, poco antes de la 1:15 p.m., según la Patrulla de Caminos de California (CHP).
        The crash occurred westbound on Interstate 10, just east of Interstate 15, shortly before 1:15 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
    2. few, not many
      Muy pocas personas hacen eso.
      Very few people do that.
    3. un-, not
      poco saludable ― unhealthy

    Adverb

    poco

    1. little (not much)
      Comí poco.
      I ate little / I didn’t eat much.

    Noun

    poco m (plural pocos)

    1. little (a small amount)
      Hablo un poco (de) inglés.
      I speak a little English.
    2. a short time, a little while
      hace poco ― a little while ago
      dentro de poco ― in a little bit

    Derived terms

    superlatives
    diminutives

    Further reading

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