Literary notes about Infinitesimal (AI summary)
Writers employ “infinitesimal” to evoke a vast array of meanings—from the precise measurement of nearly negligible quantities to metaphorical reflections on the minute forces that shape life and thought. In some passages the term quantifies minute particles or doses, as when a character is afflicted with an “infinitesimal dose” of something elusive [1] or when a delicate glint of light marks the onset of creation [2]. In other contexts it underscores that, although small in measure—whether in risk [3], time [4], or physical substance [5]—these imperceptible elements can exert profound influence on events or internal states, as seen in reflections on personal insignificance or overlooked details [6], [7]. Ultimately, the word enriches literary prose by drawing attention to how even the smallest parts can inform and transform the greater whole.
- I take it to be cunning—the cunning of a wild animal with a man's brain—and a small, an infinitesimal, dose of something else which eludes us.
— from A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs by W. H. (William Henry) Hudson - At first just that infinitesimal bright glint lived where all the rest was dead, or creation not yet begun.
— from Where the Path Breaks by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson - The risk might be infinitesimal, but it existed, and he would run no risk of ruining Marguerite's life, after more than twenty-five years.
— from The Wages of Virtue by Percival Christopher Wren - Fourthly, whilst the absolute now is no quantity, the infinitesimal of time is a real quantity; for it implies real succession.
— from The Catholic World, Vol. 22, October, 1875, to March, 1876A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science by Various - He clutched the chain by which the cone hung, and the thing sank an infinitesimal amount as he struck it.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - He felt awed; the trivial things which made up so much of his life seemed infinitesimal now, in the face of this mysterious wonder.
— from Duncan Polite, the Watchman of Glenoro by Mary Esther Miller MacGregor - Let it not be said that x is too infinitesimal a component to change the character of the immense whole in which it lies imbedded.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James