Literary notes about Wee (AI summary)
The word "wee" has been used by authors and poets as a versatile descriptor to denote smallness, intimacy, or brevity in both physical and abstract contexts. For example, Robert Burns employs it to evoke the endearing diminutiveness found in nature and human relationships—as seen in “wee, sleekit, cow'rin” ([1])—while its definition as "a little; a short space or time" ([2]) underscores its use for brevity. Classical writers like John Milton and Thomas Hobbes also incorporate "wee" to accentuate minutiae or fleeting moments ([3],[4]), and its tender connotations appear in lullabies and affectionate portrayals in works by Chekhov and L. M. Montgomery ([5],[6]). Overall, "wee" serves as a stylistic tool that enriches literary expression by imbuing descriptions with both charm and precision.
- H2 anchor To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough, November, 1785 Wee, sleekit, cow'rin,
— from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns - Wee, a little; a wee = a short space or time.
— from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns - In that manuscript the constant forms are me, wee, yee.
— from The Poetical Works of John Milton by John Milton - For of things wee know not at all, or believe not to be, we can have no further Desire, than to tast and try.
— from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes - Somewhere there is a baby crying, and Varka hears someone singing with her own voice: “Hush-a-bye, my baby wee, I will sing a song to thee.”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Anne was safe, and a wee, white lady, with her mother's big eyes, was lying beside her.
— from Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery
