different between lessen vs diminish

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

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