God made . . . the lesser light to rule the night.
--Gen. i. 15.
Note: Lesser is used for less, now the compar. of little, in
certain special instances in which its employment has
become established by custom; as, Lesser Asia (i. e.,
Asia Minor), the lesser light, and some others; also in
poetry, for the sake of the meter, and in prose where
its use renders the passage more euphonious.
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
--Shak.
The larger here, and there the lesser lambs.
--Pope.
By the same reason may a man, in the state of
nature, punish the lesser breaches of the law.
--Locke.