verschwindend
Translation
negligible, vanishingly small, insignificant
Examples
Der Unterschied ist verschwindend gering.
The difference is negligibly small.
Eine verschwindend kleine Minderheit war dagegen.
A vanishingly small minority was against it.
Grammar Patterns
verschwindend + Adjective vanishingly/negligibly + adjective The chance is vanishingly small.
Similar Words
Synonyms: geringfügig (marginal), unerheblich (inconsequential); Antonyms: beträchtlich (substantial), erheblich (significant)
Etymology
This is the present participle of `verschwinden` (to disappear), formed from `ver-` and `schwinden` (to vanish). The idea of 'vanishing' is used to mean 'vanishingly small' or 'negligible'.
Memory Tips
Picture something so small that it's on the point of `verschwinden` (disappearing). That's how small 'verschwindend' implies.