least

Multiple Entries:
  least    little  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
least/liːst/

▶determiner & pronoun (usu. the least) smallest in amount, extent, or significance. ▶adjective used in names of very small animals and plants: least shrew. ▶adverb to the smallest extent or degree.

– phrases
at least

• 1 not less than; at the minimum.

• 2 if nothing else.

• 3 anyway.

at the least (or very least)

• 1 not less than; at the minimum.

• 2 taking the most pessimistic or unfavourable view.

not in the least not in the smallest degree; not at all.
not least notably; in particular:
to say the least using moderate terms; to put it mildly.

– origin OE lǣst, lǣsest, of Gmc origin; rel. to less.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
little/ˈlɪtl/

▶adjective

• 1 small in size, amount, or degree.

  ■ (of a person) young or younger: my little brother.

  ■ denoting something that is the smaller or smallest of those so named.

• 2 of short distance or duration.

• 3 trivial or unimportant.

▶determiner & pronoun

• 1 (a little) a small amount of.

  ■ a short time or distance.

• 2 not much.

▶adverb (less, least)

• 1 (a little) to a small extent.

• 2 hardly or not at all.

– phrases
little by little gradually.
no little considerable.
not a little a great deal (of).

■ very.

– derivatives
littleness noun.

– origin OE lȳtel, of Gmc origin.