lessen

English

Etymology

From Middle English lessenen, lasnen, equivalent to less +‎ -en (verbal suffix).

Pronunciation

• enPR: lěʹsən, IPA^(key): /ˈlɛsən/
• Rhymes: -ɛsən
• Homophone: lesson

Verb

lessen (third-person singular simple present lessens, present participle lessening, simple past and past participle lessened)

1. (transitive) To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
   • a. 1686, Benjamin Calamy, a sermon

     Charity […] shall lessen his punishment.

   • Template:RQ:Atterbury Sons

     St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.

   • 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 44:

     The thin glass that makes mirror tiles light in weight also tends to lessen their reflective quality.

   • 2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, in Guardian‎^[1]:

     Many hospitals have not taken simple steps to lessen the distress and confusion which dementia sufferers' often feel on being somewhere so unfamiliar – such as making signs large and easy to read, using colour schemes to help patients find their way around unfamiliar wards and not putting family mementoes such as photographs nearby.

2. (intransitive) To become less.

Translations

to make less

• Armenian: պակասեցնել (hy) (pakasecʻnel)
• Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), смалявам (bg) (smaljavam)
• Czech: zmenšit (cs)
• Dutch: verminderen (nl), verkleinen (nl), korten (nl)
• French: diminuer (fr), amoindrir (fr), réduire (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐλασσόω (elassóō), μειόω (meióō)

• Hungarian: csökkent (hu), kisebbít (hu)
• Ido: diminutar (io)
• Irish: beagaigh
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: minuō (la), diminuō
• Maori: whakaharahara, māwhe, whakamimiti, whakaiti, māhaki
• Portuguese: diminuir (pt), reduzir (pt)
• Quechua: hiwiy
• Russian: уменьша́ть (ru) impf (umenʹšátʹ), уме́ньшить (ru) pf (uménʹšitʹ)
• Spanish: menoscabar (es), disminuir (es), reducir (es), aminorar (es), menguar (es), mermar (es)
• Swedish: minska (sv)
• Ukrainian: зменшити (zmenšyty)
• Welsh: lleihau (cy)

to become less

• Armenian: պակասել (hy) (pakasel)
• Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), смалявам се (smaljavam se)
• Czech: zmenšit se
• Dutch: slinken (nl), afnemen (nl), verminderen (nl)
• Hungarian: csökken (hu), kisebbedik (hu)
• Ido: diminutar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: diminuir (pt), reduzir-se (pt)
• Russian: уменьша́ться (ru) impf (umenʹšátʹsja), уме́ньшиться (ru) pf (uménʹšitʹsja)
• Spanish: aminorar (es), disminuir (es), menguar (es), mermar (es)
• Swedish: minska (sv)

Anagrams

• Elsens, elsens, lenses, sensel

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛsə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsən

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch lesschen, from a merger of two Old Dutch [Term?] verbs:

• *leskan, from Proto-Germanic *leskaną; class 5 strong, intransitive.
• lesken, from Proto-Germanic *laskijaną; class 1 weak, causative of the first verb.

Verb

lessen

1. (transitive) to quench (thirst)

Inflection

Conjugation of lessen (weak)
infinitive	lessen
past singular	leste
past participle	gelest
infinitive	lessen
gerund	lessen n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	les	leste
2nd person sing. (jij)	lest, les2	leste
2nd person sing. (u)	lest	leste
2nd person sing. (gij)	lest	leste
3rd person singular	lest	leste
plural	lessen	lesten
subjunctive sing.1	lesse	leste
subjunctive plur.1	lessen	lesten
imperative sing.	les
imperative plur.1	lest
participles	lessend	gelest
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Derived terms

• blussen

Etymology 2

From les +‎ -en.

Verb

lessen

1. (intransitive) to take a lesson (usually a driving lesson)

Inflection

Conjugation of lessen (weak)
infinitive	lessen
past singular	leste
past participle	gelest
infinitive	lessen
gerund	lessen n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	les	leste
2nd person sing. (jij)	lest, les2	leste
2nd person sing. (u)	lest	leste
2nd person sing. (gij)	lest	leste
3rd person singular	lest	leste
plural	lessen	lesten
subjunctive sing.1	lesse	leste
subjunctive plur.1	lessen	lesten
imperative sing.	les
imperative plur.1	lest
participles	lessend	gelest
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

lessen

1. (deprecated template usage) Plural form of les

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Hungarian

Etymology

les +‎ -jen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛʃːɛn]
• Hyphenation: les‧sen

Verb

lessen

1. third-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of les

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Swedish

Adjective

lessen

1. Alternative spelling of ledsen

Anagrams

• selens