DIMINISH

decrease, diminish, lessen, fall

(verb) decrease in size, extent, or range; ā€œThe amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semesterā€; ā€œThe cabin pressure fell dramaticallyā€; ā€œher weight fell to under a hundred poundsā€; ā€œhis voice fell to a whisperā€

diminish, belittle

(verb) lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of; ā€œdonā€™t belittle your colleaguesā€

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

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).

(intransitive) To taper.

(intransitive) To disappear gradually.

(transitive) To take away; to subtract.

Antonyms

• improve, repair, renovate

Anagrams

• minidish

Source: Wiktionary


Di*min"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Diminished; p. pr. & vb. n. Diminishing.] Etym: [Pref. di- (= L. dis-) + minish: cf. L. diminuere, F. diminuer, OE. diminuen. See Dis-, and Minish.]

1. To make smaller in any manner; to reduce in bulk or amount; to lessen; -- opposed to augment or increase. Not diminish, but rather increase, the debt. Barrow.

2. To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken. This doth nothing diminish their opinion. Robynson (More's Utopia). I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. Ezek. xxix. 15. O thou . . . at whose sight all the stars Hide their diminished heads. Milton.

3. (Mus.)

Definition: To make smaller by a half step; to make (an interval) less than minor; as, a diminished seventh.

4. To take away; to subtract. Neither shall ye diminish aught from it. Deut. iv. 2. Diminished column, one whose upper diameter is less than the lower.

– Diminished, or Diminishing, scale, a scale of gradation used in finding the different points for drawing the spiral curve of the volute. Gwilt.

– Diminishing rule (Arch.), a board cut with a concave edge, for fixing the entasis and curvature of a shaft.

– Diminishing stile (Arch.), a stile which is narrower in one part than in another, as in many glazed doors.

Syn.

– To decrease; lessen; abate; reduce; contract; curtail; impair; degrade. See Decrease.

Di*min"ish, v. i.

Definition: To become or appear less or smaller; to lessen; as, the apparent size of an object diminishes as we recede from it.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ā€˜the father of the brideā€™ instead of ā€˜the brideā€™s fatherā€™


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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