Verb
lessen (third-person singular simple present lessens, present participle lessening, simple past and past participle lessened)
- (transitive) To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
- a. 1686, Benjamin Calamy, a sermon
- Charity […] shall lessen his punishment.
- December 6, 1709, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd before the sons of the clergy at their anniversary-meeting in the Church of St. Paul
- 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: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.
- (intransitive) To become less.
Translations
to make less
- Armenian: պակասեցնել (hy) (pakasecʻnel)
- Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), смалявам (bg) (smaljavam), смекчавам (bg) (smekčavam)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 減少/减少 (zh) (jiǎnshǎo)
- Czech: zmenšit (cs)
- Dutch: afzwakken (nl), korten (nl), vergoelijken (nl), verkleinen (nl), verminderen (nl), verzachten (nl)
- French: amoindrir (fr), atténuer (fr), diminuer (fr), réduire (fr)
- Greek:
- Ancient: ἐλασσόω (elassóō), μειόω (meióō)
- Hungarian: csökkent (hu), kisebbít (hu)
- Ido: diminutar (io)
- Irish: beagaigh, laghdaigh
- Latin: minuō (la), diminuō
- Maori: whakaharahara, māwhe, whakamimiti, whakaiti, māhaki
- Norwegian: formilde
- Portuguese: atenuar (pt), diminuir (pt), reduzir (pt)
- Quechua: hiwiy
- Russian: смягча́ть (ru) n (smjaxčátʹ), уменьша́ть (ru) impf (umenʹšátʹ), уме́ньшить (ru) pf (uménʹšitʹ), умеря́ть (ru) impf (umerjátʹ), уме́рить (ru) pf (uméritʹ)
- Spanish: menoscabar (es), disminuir (es), reducir (es), aminorar (es), menguar (es), mermar (es)
- Swedish: minska (sv)
- Ukrainian: зме́ншувати impf (zménšuvaty), зме́ншити pf (zménšyty)
- Welsh: lleihau (cy)
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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)
- Irish: laghdaigh
- 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)
- Ukrainian: зме́ншуватися impf (zménšuvatysja), зме́ншитися pf (zménšytysja)
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Conjunction
lessen
- (nonstandard, dialect) unless.
1895, Book-keeper (Detroit, Mich. : 1888). - Volume 8, Issue 6, page 10:Ober closed his encomium with the serious statement that “Lessen he could marry Miss Jennie he would be a bachelor the balance of his life," to which the drayman replied that " If Oi were Miss Janie Oi'd black yer oi the minute ye thought of such a thing. The oidee."
2011, Caroline Miller, Lamb in His Bosom, page 107:She was fine-looking; he couldn't find a fault with her 'lessen he made it up.
2011, J. California Cooper, Family:No more work outta them lessen they paid now.
2013, Lornabelle Gethers, Honey Bea's Everlasting Gift, page 88:That usually all they need fuh go that straight and narrow path, lessen they got that real badness or foolishness in them.
Etymology 2
From les + -en.
Verb
lessen
- (intransitive) to take a lesson (usually a driving lesson)
Conjugation
More information Conjugation of (weak), infinitive ...
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Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.