# least (comparative)

the small quantity that is less than every other quantity

- Computed level: L8 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: least

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [small](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-small.size), [quantity](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-quantity.numerical)

**Through:** When quantities are compare and one is less than all the others

**Novel properties:**
- extreme minimality
- superlative rank

## Examples
- The Voyager 1 probe, launched in 1977, uses 23 watts—less than any other deep-space transmitter still active. *(engineering)*
- In 2023, Tuvalu had a GDP of $57 million, the least of any UN member nation. *(economics)*
- The electron has the least mass of any charged particle, at 9.1 × 10⁻³¹ kg. *(physics)*

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-least.comparative*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-least.comparative.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*