different between decrease vs impair

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

Alternative forms

• empair (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, variant of empirier (“to worsen”), from Vulgar Latin *imp?i?r?, from im- + Late Latin p?i?r? (“to make worse”), from peior (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?p??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Verb

impair (third-person singular simple present impairs, present participle impairing, simple past and past participle impaired)

1. (transitive) To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
2. (intransitive, archaic) To grow worse; to deteriorate.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

Synonyms

• blunt, diminish, hurt, lessen, mar, reduce, weaken, worsen

Derived terms

• impairment

Translations

Adjective

impair (comparative more impair, superlative most impair)

1. (obsolete) Not fit or appropriate; unsuitable.

Further reading

• impair in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• impair in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• impair at OneLook Dictionary Search

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imp?r, equivalent to im- +? pair.

Adjective

impair (feminine singular impaire, masculine plural impairs, feminine plural impaires)

1. odd (of a number)

   Antonym: pair

Derived terms

• fonction impaire
• nombre impair

References

• “impair” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Antonyms

• pair

Anagrams

• primai