From small + man, either a nickname for a short person or a feudal term denoting a subtenant.
A compound of small + man
Proto-Germanic *smalaz
Proto-West Germanic *smal
Old English smæl ‘narrow’
Middle English smal ‘small’
English small
Proto-Germanic *mann- ‘human being, person, man’
Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’
Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’
Middle English man
English man
Today it means
name A surname transferred from the nickname.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Smallman
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