Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe minuscule or small letters (a, b, c, as opposed to the uppercase or capital letters, A, B, C).
Similar
Origin
Named for the original arrangement in typesetting, where the drawer or case containing minuscule letters would traditionally be located below the one containing capital letters.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَرْف صَغِير, أَحْرُف صَغِيرَة
- حَرْف صَغِير (ḥarf ṣaḡīr)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- أَحْرُف صَغِيرَة (ʔaḥruf ṣaḡīra)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- نَسَق صَغِير (nasaq ṣaḡīr)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Bulgarian ма́лки бу́кви
- ма́лки бу́кви (málki búkvi)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Catalan minúscules
- minúsculeslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Chinese Mandarin 小寫 /小写, 小寫字母 /小写字母
- 小寫 /小写 (xiǎoxiě)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- 小寫字母 /小写字母 (xiǎoxiě zìmǔ)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Czech malé písmeno
- malé písmenolower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Danish små bogstaver
- små bogstaverlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Dutch kleine letters, klein schrift
- kleine letterslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- klein schriftlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- kleinschrift (cf. grootschrift)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- onderkastlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- onderkastletterslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Esperanto minusklaro, minuskloj
- minusklarolower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- minusklojlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Finnish gemena, pienaakkonen
- gemenalower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- pienaakkonenlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- pieni kirjainlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
French minuscules, bas-de-casse
- minusculeslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- bas-de-casselower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- bas de casselower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
German Kleinschrift, Kleinschreibung
- Kleinschriftlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- Kleinschreibunglower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- Kleinbuchstabenlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- gemeine Buchstabenlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- Gemeinbuchstabenlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Greek μικρό γράμμα
- μικρό γράμμα (mikró grámma)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Hindi छोटा अक्षर
- छोटा अक्षर (choṭā akṣar)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Hungarian kisbetű, minuszkula
- kisbetűlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- minuszkulalower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Icelandic litlir stafir
- litlir stafirlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Irish cás íochtair
- cás íochtairlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Italian minuscoli
- minuscolilower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Japanese 小文字
- 小文字 (komoji)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Korean 소문자
- 소문자 (somunja)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Māori pūriki
- pūrikilower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Polish małe litery
- małe literylower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Portuguese minúscules
- minúsculeslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Romanian litere mici
- litere micilower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Russian стро́чные бу́квы, ни́жний реги́стр
- стро́чные бу́квы (stróčnyje búkvy)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- ни́жний реги́стр (nížnij regístr)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- минуску́л (minuskúl)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- ма́ленькие бу́квы (málenʹkije búkvy)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Slovak malé písmeno
- malé písmenolower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Spanish minúsculas, caja baja
- minúsculaslower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- caja bajalower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Swedish gemener, små bokstäver
- gemenerlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- små bokstäverlower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Turkish küçük harf
- küçük harflower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Ukrainian малі́ лі́тери, малі́ бу́кви
- малі́ лі́тери (malí lítery)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
- малі́ бу́кви (malí búkvy)lower case / lowercase (as a collective noun) or lower case letters (in the plural)
Cite this entry
APA
lower case. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lower%20case
MLA
“lower case.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lower%20case. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lower case,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lower%20case.
Source: lower case on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.