Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Lessen

Less′en

(lĕs′’n)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Lessened
(-’nd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Lessening
.]
[From
Less
,
Adj.
]
To make less; to reduce; to make smaller, or fewer; to diminish; to lower; to degrade;
as, to
lessen
a kingdom, or a population; to
lessen
speed, rank, fortune.
Charity . . . shall
lessen
his punishment.
Calamy.
Syn. – To diminish; reduce; abate; decrease; lower; impair; weaken; degrade.

Less′en

,
Verb.
I.
To become less; to shrink; to contract; to decrease; to be diminished;
as, the apparent magnitude of objects
lessens
as we recede from them; his care, or his wealth,
lessened
.
The objection
lessens
much, and comes to no more than this: there was one witness of no good reputation.
Atterbury.

Webster 1828 Edition


Lessen

LESS'EN

,
Verb.
T.
les'n. [from less.]
1.
To make less; to diminish; to reduce in bulk, size, quantity, number or amount; to make smaller; as, to lessen a kingdom or its population.
2.
To diminish in degree, state of quality; as, awkward manners tend to lessen our respect for men of merit.
3.
To degrade; to reduce in dignity.
St. Paul chose to magnify his office, when ill men conspired to lessen it.

LESS'EN

,
Verb.
I.
les'n.
1.
To become less; to shrink; to contract in bulk, quantity, number or amount; to be diminished. The apparent magnitude of objects lessens as we recede from them.
2.
To become less in degree, quality or intensity; to decrease. The strength of the body, and the vivacity of the temper usually lessen as we advance in age.

Definition 2024


lessen

lessen

English

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.
    • Calamy
      Charity [] shall lessen his punishment.
    • Atterbury
      St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.
    • 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.
  2. (intransitive) To become less.
Translations

Anagrams


Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɛsə(n)/

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
Inflection of lessen (weak)
infinitive lessen
past singular leste
past participle gelest
infinitive lessen
gerund lessen n
verbal noun
present tense past tense
1st person singular les leste
2nd person sing. (jij) lest 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.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From les + -en.

Verb

lessen

  1. (intransitive) to take a lesson (usually a driving lesson)
Inflection
Inflection of lessen (weak)
infinitive lessen
past singular leste
past participle gelest
infinitive lessen
gerund lessen n
verbal noun
present tense past tense
1st person singular les leste
2nd person sing. (jij) lest 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.

Etymology 3

Non-lemma forms.

Noun

lessen

  1. Plural form of les

Hungarian

Etymology

les + -jen

Pronunciation

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

Verb

lessen

  1. third-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of les

Swedish

Adjective

lessen

  1. Alternative spelling of ledsen