different between lessen vs calm

English

Etymology

From Middle English lessenen, lasnen, equivalent to less +? -en (verbal suffix).

Pronunciation

• enPR: l??s?n, IPA^(key): /?l?s?n/
• Rhymes: -?s?n
• Homophone: lesson

Verb

lessen (third-person singular simple present lessens, present participle lessening, simple past and past participle lessened)

1. (transitive) To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
   • a. 1686, Benjamin Calamy, a sermon

     Charity […] shall lessen his punishment.

   • December 6, 1709, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd before the sons of the clergy at their anniversary-meeting in the Church of St. Paul

     St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.
2. (intransitive) To become less.

Translations

Conjunction

lessen

1. (nonstandard, dialect) unless.

Anagrams

• Elsens, elsens, lenses, sensel

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?s?(n)/
• Rhymes: -?s?n

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch lesschen, from a merger of two Old Dutch [Term?] verbs:

• *leskan, from Proto-Germanic *leskan?; class 5 strong, intransitive.
• lesken, from Proto-Germanic *laskijan?; class 1 weak, causative of the first verb.

Verb

lessen

1. (transitive) to quench (thirst)

Inflection

Derived terms

• blussen

Etymology 2

From les +? -en.

Verb

lessen

1. (intransitive) to take a lesson (usually a driving lesson)

Inflection

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Noun

lessen

1. Plural form of les

Hungarian

Etymology

les +? -jen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?l????n]
• Hyphenation: les?sen

Verb

lessen

1. third-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of les

Swedish

Adjective

lessen

1. Alternative spelling of ledsen

Anagrams

• selens

English

Alternative forms

• calme (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English calm, calme, from Old French calme, probably from Old Italian calma, of uncertain origin. Calma may derive from Late Latin cauma (“heat of the midday sun”), from Ancient Greek ????? (kaûma, “heat, especially of the sun”), from ???? (kaí?, “I burn”), or possibly from Latin cale?. Compare also Proto-Germanic *kalmaz (“frozenness, cold”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??m/
• (US) IPA^(key): /k?m/, /k?lm/, /k?(?)m/
• (Ireland, Scotland) IPA^(key): /kam/
• Rhymes: -??m
• (nonstandard, now chiefly dialect) IPA^(key): /ka?m/

Adjective

calm (comparative calmer or more calm, superlative calmest or most calm)

1. (of a person) Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.

   Antonyms: stressed, nervous, anxious

2. (of a place or situation) Free of noise and disturbance.

   Antonym: disturbed

3. (of water) with few or no waves on the surface; not rippled.
4. Without wind or storm.

   Antonyms: windy, stormy

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:calm

Derived terms

• calm as a millpond
• ice-calm

Translations

Noun

calm (countable and uncountable, plural calms)

1. (in a person) The state of being calm; peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion.
2. (in a place or situation) The state of being calm; absence of noise and disturbance.
3. A period of time without wind.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:calmness

Derived terms

• ice-calm

Translations

Verb

calm (third-person singular simple present calms, present participle calming, simple past and past participle calmed)

1. (transitive) To make calm.

   to calm a crying baby

   to calm the passions

   • to calm the tempest raised by Aeolus

2. (intransitive) To become calm.

Synonyms

• allay, appease, calm down, cool off, ease, pacify, quieten, soothe, subdue

Antonyms

• agitate
• excite

Translations

Anagrams

• ALCM, CAML, CLAM, Caml, Malc, clam

Catalan

Etymology

From calma, probably in imitation of French calme (adjective) and Spanish calmo.

Adjective

calm (feminine calma, masculine plural calms, feminine plural calmes)

1. calm

Related terms

• calma
• calmar

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French calme.

Noun

calm n (plural calmuri)

1. composure (calmness of mind or matter, self-possession)

Related terms

• calma