lesser
/ˈlesə(r)/adjective
attrib.
1- not so great or important as the other or the rest较少的, 次要的：
he was convicted of a lesser assault charge
他被判犯有轻度伤害罪
they nest mostly in Alaska and to a lesser extent in Siberia.
它们大多栖居在阿拉斯加, 有少部分栖居在西伯利亚。
1.1
- lower in terms of rank or quality条件或级别较低的：
the lesser aristocracy
小贵族
you're looking down your nose at us lesser mortals.
你看不起我们这种小人物。
1.2
- used in names of animals and plants which are smaller than similar kinds, e.g. lesser spotted woodpecker, lesser celandine用在动植物名字前（较）小（的）（如lesser spotted woodpecker, lesser celandine）。
短语
the lesser evil（或 the lesser of two evils）
- the less harmful or unpleasant of two bad choices or possibilities两害之较轻者; 两种不愉快中较小者：
authoritarianism may seem a lesser evil than abject poverty.
独裁统治看上去可能不如赤贫可怕。
词源
Middle English: a double comparative， from LESS + -ER2.