From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Diminish \Di*min"ish\, verb (used with an object) [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; 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.) To make smaller by a half step; to make (an interval) less than minor; as, a diminished seventh.
Neither shall ye diminish aught from it. --Deut. iv. 2.
{Diminished column}, one whose upper diameter is less than the lower.
{Diminished scale}, 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}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Diminish \Di*min"ish\, verb (used without an object) To become or appear less or smaller; to lessen; as, the apparent size of an object diminishes as we recede from it.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
verb
1: decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" [syn: {decrease}, {lessen}, {fall}] [ant: {increase}]
2: lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of; "don't belittle your colleagues" [syn: {belittle}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
249 Moby Thesaurus words for "diminish": abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, ablate, abrade, abridge, abstract, abuse, adjust to, allay, alleviate, allow for, alter, anesthetize, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, bate, be eaten away, belittle, benumb, blunt, boil down, box in, bring down, bring low, chasten, cheapen, circumscribe, clip, close, color, compress, condense, condition, confine, constrain, constrict, consume, consume away, contract, control, corrode, crop, crumble, crush, curtail, cushion, cut, cut back, cut down, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, debase, decline, decrease, deduct, deflate, degrade, deliquesce, demean, deprecate, depreciate, depress, derogate, desiccate, detract, detract from, devalue, die away, die out, discredit, dismiss, disparage, dispraise, dive, dock, downgrade, downplay, drain, draw in, drift away, droop, drop, drop off, dry up, dull, dump, dump on, dwindle, ease, ease matters, ease off, eat away, ebb, erode, extenuate, extract, fade, fade away, fall, fall away, fall off, file away, flag, foment, give relief, gloss over, go, go away, go in, hedge, hedge about, humiliate, ignore, impair, keep within bounds, languish, lay, leach, leaven, lenify, lessen, let up, lighten, limit, lop, lower, lull, make allowance for, melt away, mince, minify, minimize, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, move away, move off, narrow, numb, obtund, pad, palliate, pare, peter out, pine, play down, plummet, plunge, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, prune, pull away, purify, put down, qualify, recede, reduce, reduce the temperature, refine, regulate by, reject, relieve, remove, restrain, restrict, retire, retreat, retrench, retrocede, roll back, rub away, run low, sag, salve, scale down, sear, season, set conditions, set down, set limits, shorten, shrink, shrivel, simplify, sink, slacken, slake, slow down, slur over, smother, snape, sober, sober down, soft-pedal, soften, soothe, stand off, step down, stifle, straiten, stupe, subduct, subdue, subside, subtract, suppress, tail off, take away, take down, take from, tame, taper, taper off, temper, thin, thin out, tone down, trip up, truncate, tune down, underplay, varnish, vitiate, wane, waste, waste away, weaken, wear, wear away, weed, whitewash, widen the distance, wilt, wind down, withdraw, wither, wizen, write off
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