different between diminish vs disparage

English

Etymology

Formed under the influence of both diminue (from Old French diminuer, from Latin d?minuo) and minish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??m?n??/

Verb

diminish (third-person singular simple present diminishes, present participle diminishing, simple past and past participle diminished)

1. (transitive) To make smaller.
2. (intransitive) To become smaller.
3. (transitive) To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken; to nerf (in gaming).
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Ezekiel 29:15,^[1]

     It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

   • 1639, Ralph Robinson (translator), Utopia by Thomas More, London, Book 2, “Of their journying or travelling abroad,” p. 197,^[2]

     […] this doth nothing diminish their opinion.

   • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 4, lines 32-35,^[3]

     O thou, that, with surpassing glory crowned,

     Lookest from thy sole dominion like the God

     Of this new world; at whose sight all the stars

     Hide their diminished heads; to thee I call,

   • 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, London: André Deutsch, Chapter 3,

     In Seth’s presence Mr Biswas felt diminished. Everything about Seth was overpowering: his calm manner, his smooth grey hair, his ivory holder, his hard swollen forearms […]

4. (intransitive) To taper.
   • 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford, London: J.M. Dent, 1904, Chapter 8, p. 120,^[4]

     The chair and table legs diminished as they neared the ground, and were straight and square in all their corners.

5. (intransitive) To disappear gradually.
   • 1948, Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter, Penguin, 1971, Part Two, Chapter 2, 1, p. 77,^[5]

     ‘Good evening, good evening,’ Father Rank called. His stride lengthened and he caught a foot in his soutane and stumbled as he went by. ‘A storm’s coming up,’ he said. ‘Got to hurry,’ and his ‘ho, ho, ho’ diminished mournfully along the railway track, bringing no comfort to anyone.

6. (transitive) To take away; to subtract.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Deuteronomy 4:2,^[6]

     Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Antonyms

• improve, repair, renovate

Derived terms

• diminishment
• law of diminishing returns

Related terms

• diminution

Translations

Anagrams

• minidish

English

Etymology

From Middle English disparage (noun), disparagen (verb), from Old French desparage (noun), desparagier (verb), from des- + parage (“equal rank, rank”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?s?pæ??d??/

Noun

disparage (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.8:

     But, for his meane degree might not aspire / To match so high, her friends with counsell sage / Dissuaded her from such a disparage […]

Translations

Verb

disparage (third-person singular simple present disparages, present participle disparaging, simple past and past participle disparaged)

1. To match unequally; to degrade or dishonor. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. To dishonor by a comparison with what is inferior; to lower in rank or estimation by actions or words; to speak slightingly of; to depreciate; to undervalue.
   • August 30, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Bennet

     those forbidding appearances which sometimes disparage the actions of men sincerely pious

   • 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes

     Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms.

3. To ridicule, mock, discredit. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Translations

See also

• vilipend
• belittle
• denigrate
• excoriate

Further reading

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French desparage; equivalent to dis- +? parage.

Alternative forms

• dysperage, disperage, desparage

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dis?pa?ra?d?(?)/, /dis?parad?(?)/, /d?s-/

Noun

disparage (uncountable) (rare)

1. Inequality in marriage; marriage with an inferior.
2. Ignominy, shame; the state of lacking respect.

Descendants

• English: disparage

References

• “dispar??e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-04-21.

Etymology 2

From Old French desparagier.

Verb

disparage

1. Alternative form of disparagen.