Diminish — Di*min ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Diminished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Diminishing}.] [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;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
diminish — UK US /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ verb [I or T] ► to reduce or be reduced in size, importance, or value: »If consumers start losing confidence, it will diminish demand for household goods. »Investors can diversify their holdings in order to diminish risk. »Over a … Financial and business terms
diminish — (v.) early 15c., from merger of two obsolete verbs, diminue and minish. Diminue is from O.Fr. diminuer make small, from L. diminuere break into small pieces, variant of deminuere lessen, diminish, from de completely + minuere make small (see… … Etymology dictionary
diminish — [v1] become or cause to be less abate, abbreviate, attenuate, become smaller, close, contract, curtail, cut, decline, decrease, depreciate, die out, drain, dwindle, ebb, extenuate, fade away, lessen, lower, minify, moderate, peter out, recede,… … New thesaurus
Diminish — Di*min ish, v. i. To become or appear less or smaller; to lessen; as, the apparent size of an object diminishes as we recede from it. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
diminish — I verb abate, abbreviate, abrade, abridge, alleviate, assuage, bate, become smaller, belittle, bound, cause to be smaller, cause to taper, cheapen, compress, consume, contract, curb, curtail, cut back, cut down, damp down, dampen, decelerate,… … Law dictionary
diminish — reduce, *decrease, lessen, abate, dwindle Analogous words: wane, ebb, *abate, subside: *moderate, temper: lighten, alleviate, mitigate (see RELIEVE): attenuate, extenuate (see THIN) Contrasted words: enlarge, augment, *increase: * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
diminish — ► VERB ▪ make or become less. ● (the law of) diminishing returns Cf. ↑the law of diminishing returns ORIGIN Latin deminuere lessen … English terms dictionary
diminish — [də min′ish] vt. [ME diminishen, a blend of diminuen, to reduce (< OFr diminuer < L diminuere, var. of deminuere < de , from + minuere, to lessen < minus, small) & minishen, to make smaller < OFr menusier < VL * minutiare < L … English World dictionary
diminish — 01. Cooking and freezing do not [diminish] the spicy heat of a hot pepper. 02. The threat of war has [diminished] now that the government has withdrawn its troops from the disputed territory. 03. The Prime Minister refuses to allow the power of… … Grammatical examples in English
diminish */*/ — UK [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ] / US verb Word forms diminish : present tense I/you/we/they diminish he/she/it diminishes present participle diminishing past tense diminished past participle diminished 1) [intransitive] to become less The intensity of the sound… … English dictionary
