different between narrow vs diminish
narrow
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?næ???/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?næ?o?/, /?n??o?/
- (Mary–marry–merry distinction)
- (Mary–marry–merry merger)
- Rhymes: -ær??
Etymology 1
From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). Cognate with Scots naro, narow, narrow (“narrow”), North Frisian naar, noar, noor (“narrow”), Saterland Frisian noar (“bleak, dismal, meager, ghastly, unwell”), Saterland Frisian Naarwe (“scar”), West Frisian near (“narrow”), Dutch naar (“dismal, bleak, ill, sick”), Low German naar (“dismal, ghastly”), German Narbe (“scar”), Norwegian norve (“a clip, staple”), Icelandic njörva- (“narrow-”, in compounds).
Adjective
narrow (comparative narrower, superlative narrowest)
- Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- 1675, John Wilkins, Of the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion
- The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world.
- 1675, John Wilkins, Of the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion
- (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
- Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted
- Having a small margin or degree.
- (dated) Limited as to means; straitened
- narrow circumstances
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- a. 1719, George Smalridge, The Hopes of a Recompense from Men must not be our chief Aim in doing Good
- a very narrow […] and stinted charity
- a. 1719, George Smalridge, The Hopes of a Recompense from Men must not be our chief Aim in doing Good
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
Antonyms
- wide
- broad
Related terms
- narrowly
- narrowness
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
narrow (plural narrows)
- (chiefly in the plural) A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
- 1858', William Gladstone, Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age
- Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow.
- 1858', William Gladstone, Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age
Etymology 2
From Middle English narwen (“to narrow”); see there for more details, but ultimately derived from the noun.
Verb
narrow (third-person singular simple present narrows, present participle narrowing, simple past and past participle narrowed)
- (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
- (intransitive) To get narrower.
- (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
- (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
- Antonym: widen
Synonyms
- taper
Derived terms
- narrow down
- renarrow
Translations
narrow From the web:
- what narrow means
- what narrows blood vessels
- what narrows a confidence interval
- what narrows arteries
- what narrows voter polls
- what narrows the width of a confidence interval
- what narrow islands are formed by deposition
- what narrow angle glaucoma
diminish
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)
- (transitive) To make smaller.
- (intransitive) To become smaller.
- (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 […]
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Ezekiel 29:15,[1]
- (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.
- 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford, London: J.M. Dent, 1904, Chapter 8, p. 120,[4]
- (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.
- 1948, Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter, Penguin, 1971, Part Two, Chapter 2, 1, p. 77,[5]
- (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.
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Deuteronomy 4:2,[6]
Antonyms
- improve, repair, renovate
Derived terms
- diminishment
- law of diminishing returns
Related terms
- diminution
Translations
Anagrams
- minidish
diminish From the web:
- what diminishes
- what diminish mean
- what diminishes happiness
- what diminishes a fee simple estate
- what diminishes dark spots
- what diminishes scars
- what diminishes/dissipates a thunderstorm
- what diminishes bruises
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