different between decrease vs abridge

English

Etymology

From Middle English decresen, discresen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descreistre (French: décroître), from Latin decrescere.

Pronunciation

• (verb) enPR: d?kr?s', IPA^(key): /d??k?i?s/
• (noun) enPR: d?'kr?s, IPA^(key): /?di?k?i?s/
• Rhymes: -i?s

Verb

decrease (third-person singular simple present decreases, present participle decreasing, simple past and past participle decreased)

1. (intransitive) Of a quantity, to become smaller.

2. (transitive) To make (a quantity) smaller.

Synonyms

• (become smaller): drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink; See also Thesaurus:decrease
• (make smaller): abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduce; See also Thesaurus:diminish

Antonyms

• (become larger): go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly); See also Thesaurus:increase
• (make larger): increase, increment, raise, up (informal); See also Thesaurus:augment

Related terms

• decretion
• increase

Translations

Noun

decrease (countable and uncountable, plural decreases)

1. An amount by which a quantity is decreased.

2. (knitting) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See Decrease (knitting).

Synonyms

• (amount by which a quantity is decreased): cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage

Antonyms

• (amount by which a quantity is decreased): gain, increase, increment, raise (US, of pay), rise

Translations

Anagrams

• deceaser

English

Etymology

• From Middle English abreggen (“curtail, lessen”), abregge, abrigge, from Old French abregier abreger, from Late Latin abbrevio (“make brief”), from ad- + br?vio (“shorten”).. Doublet of abbreviate.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??b??d??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??b??d??/
• Rhymes: -?d?
• Hyphenation: a?bridge

Verb

abridge (third-person singular simple present abridges, present participle abridging, simple past and past participle abridged)

1. (transitive, archaic) To deprive; to cut off. [First attested from around (1150 to 1350)]
2. (transitive, archaic, rare) To debar from. [First attested from around (1150 to 1350)]
3. (transitive) To make shorter; to shorten in duration or extent. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]
   • 1639, Thomas Fuller, The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Book 2, Chapter 31, p. 85,^[1]

     She retired her self to Sebaste, and abridged her train from State to necessity.

   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, Chapter 86,^[2]

     The bridegroom, perceiving his condition, abridged the visit […]

4. (transitive) To shorten or contract by using fewer words, yet retaining the sense; to epitomize; to condense[First attested in 1384.]. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]
   • 1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Johnson, Samuel

     It was still necessary for the man who had been formerly saluted by the highest authority as dictator of the English language to supply his wants by constant toil. He abridged his Dictionary. He proposed to bring out an edition of Shakespeare by subscription, and many subscribers sent in their names and laid down their money; but he soon found the task so little to his taste that he turned to more attractive employments.
5. (transitive) Cut short; truncate. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]
6. (transitive) To curtail. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470)]

Usage notes

• (deprive): Usually used with to or sometimes with from as, to abridge someone of his rights.

Derived terms

• abridged
• abridger
• abridgement

Related terms

• unabridged

Translations

References

Anagrams

• bigrade, brigade