Diminish
Pronunciation
- IPA: /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/
Origin
From Old French diminuer.
Full definition of diminish
Verb
- (transitive) To make smaller.
- 2012-12-21, Simon Jenkins, We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys, The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.
- (intransitive) To become smaller.
- 2013-07-20, Old soldiers?, Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine....One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful.
- To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken.
- Robynson (More's Utopia)This doth nothing diminish their opinion.
- Bible, Ezekiel xxix. 15I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
- MiltonO thou ... at whose sight all the stars
Hide their diminished heads. - (intransitive) To taper.
- (intransitive) To disappear gradually.
- To take away; to subtract.
- Bible, Deuteronomy iv. 2Neither shall ye diminish aught from it.
- (transitive, music) To reduce a perfect or minor interval by a semitone.