different between diminish vs still

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st?l/
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English stille (“motionless, stationary”), from Old English stille (“still, quiet, calm; without motion, at rest, not moving from a place, not disturbed; moving little or gently; silent; not loud; secret; unchanging, undisturbed, stable, fixed; not vehement, gentle”), from Proto-West Germanic *still? (“quiet, still”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)telH- (“to be silent; to be still”). Cognate with Scots stil (“still”), Saterland Frisian stil (“motionless, calm, quiet”), West Frisian stil (“quiet, still”), Dutch stil (“quiet, silent, still”), Low German still (“quiet, still”), German still (“still, quiet, tranquil, silent”), Swedish stilla (“quiet, silent, peaceful”), Icelandic stilltur (“set, quiet, calm, still”). Related to stall.

(noun: Falkland Islander): Military slang, short for still a Benny, since the military had been instructed not to refer to the islanders by the derogatory term Benny (which see).

Alternative forms

• stil
• stille, styll, stylle (obsolete)

Adjective

still (comparative stiller or more still, superlative stillest or most still)

1. Not moving; calm.

2. Not effervescing; not sparkling.

3. Uttering no sound; silent.
   • c. 1711, Joseph Addison, How are thy Servants blest, O Lord!

     The sea that roared at thy command, / At thy command was still.

4. (not comparable) Having the same stated quality continuously from a past time
5. Comparatively quiet or silent; soft; gentle; low.
6. (obsolete) Constant; continual.

Synonyms

• (not moving): fixed, stationary, unmoving, static, inert, stagnant; see also Thesaurus:stationary or Thesaurus:immobile
• (not effervescing): flat, uneffervescent; see also Thesaurus:noneffervescent
• (uttering no sound): noiseless, soundless; see also Thesaurus:silent
• (having the same stated quality):
• (comparatively quiet): hushed, tranquil; see also Thesaurus:quiet
• (constant, continual): incessant, ongoing, unremitting; see also Thesaurus:continuous

Derived terms

• still life
• stillness
• unstill

Related terms

• be still my heart
• be still my beating heart
• still waters run deep

Translations

Adverb

still (not comparable)

1. Without motion.

2. (aspect) Up to a time, as in the preceding time.

3. (degree) To an even greater degree. Used to modify comparative adjectives or adverbs.

   ("still" and "taller" can easily swap places here)
4. (conjunctive) Nevertheless.
   • 1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla-Rookh

     As sunshine, broken in the rill, / Though turned astray, is sunshine still.
5. (archaic, poetic) Always; invariably; constantly; continuously.
   • The desire of fame betrays an ambitious man into indecencies that lessen his reputation; he is still afraid lest any of his actions should be thrown away in private.

   • 1661, Robert Boyle, Unsucceeding Experiments

     Chemists would be rich if they could still do in great quantities what they have sometimes done in little.

6. (extensive) Even, yet.

Synonyms

• (without motion): akinetically, motionlessly, stock still, stockishly
• (up to a time): yet
• (to an even greater degree): yet, even
• (nevertheless): nonetheless, though, yet; see also Thesaurus:nevertheless
• (always): consistently, invariably, uniformly; See also Thesaurus:uniformly
• (even, yet):

Translations

Noun

still (plural stills)

1. A period of calm or silence.

2. (photography) A photograph, as opposed to movie footage.
3. (slang) A resident of the Falkland Islands.
4. A steep hill or ascent.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of W. Browne to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (period of calm): lull, rest, respite; quiet, tranquility
• (resident of the Falkland Islands): Benny, Falklander, Kelper

Translations

Etymology 2

Via Middle English [Term?], ultimately from Latin stilla.

Noun

still (plural stills)

1. A device for distilling liquids.
2. (catering) A large water boiler used to make tea and coffee.
3. (catering) The area in a restaurant used to make tea and coffee, separate from the main kitchen.
4. A building where liquors are distilled; a distillery.

Translations

See also

• pot still

Etymology 3

From Old English stillan.

Verb

still (third-person singular simple present stills, present participle stilling, simple past and past participle stilled)

1. To calm down, to quiet.

Synonyms

• becalm, lull, quell; see also Thesaurus:pacify

Translations

Etymology 4

Aphetic form of distil, or from Latin stillare.

Verb

still (third-person singular simple present stills, present participle stilling, simple past and past participle stilled)

1. (obsolete) To trickle, drip.
2. To cause to fall by drops.
3. To expel spirit from by heat, or to evaporate and condense in a refrigeratory; to distill.

Translations

Anagrams

• Tills, lilts, tills

German

Etymology

From Middle High German [Term?], from Old High German stilli.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?l/

Adjective

still (comparative stiller, superlative am stillsten)

1. quiet, silent

Declension

Adverb

still

1. quietly, silently

Further reading

• “still” in Duden online

Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?til/

Adjective

still

1. quiet, silent

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st?l/
• Rhymes: -?l

Verb

still

1. imperative of stille

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Verb

still

1. imperative of stilla

Etymology 2

Adjective

still (masculine and feminine still, neuter stilt, definite singular and plural stille, comparative stillare, indefinite superlative stillast, definite superlative stillaste)

1. Alternative form of stille

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /es?til/, [es?t?il]

Noun

still m (plural stills)

1. (photography) still