lessen

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: lěʹsən, IPA: /ˈlɛsən/, X-SAMPA: /'lEs@n/
• Rhymes: -ɛsən

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.
   • 2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, 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

to make less

• Armenian: պակասեցնել (hy) (pakasec’nel)
• Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), смалявам (bg) (smaljavam)
• Czech: zmenšit (cs)
• Hungarian: csökkent (hu), kisebbít (hu)
• Portuguese: diminuir (pt), reduzir (pt)

• Russian: уменьшать (ru) (umen'šát') impf., уменьшить (ru) (umén'šit') pf.
• Spanish: menoscabar (es), disminuir (es), reducir (es), aminorar (es)
• Swedish: minska (sv)
• Welsh: lleihau (cy)

to become less

• Armenian: պակասել (hy) (pakasel)
• Bulgarian: намалявам (bg) (namaljavam), смалявам се (bg) (smaljavam se)
• Czech: zmenšit se
• Hungarian: csökken (hu), kisebbedik (hu)

• Portuguese: reduzir-se (pt)
• Russian: уменьшаться (ru) (umen'šát'sja) impf., уменьшиться (ru) (umén'šit'sja) pf.
• Spanish: aminorar (es), disminuir (es), menguar (es)
• Swedish: minska

Anagrams

• lenses
• sensel

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Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch lesschen, from a merger of two verbs:

• Old Dutch *leskan, from Proto-Germanic *leskanan; class 5 strong, intransitive. Cognate with Old High German leskan (German löschen).
• Old Dutch *lesken, from Proto-Germanic *laskijanan; class 1 weak, causative of the first verb. Cognate with Old Saxon aleskian, Old High German lesken (German löschen).

Verb

lessen

1. to quench (thirst)

Conjugation

Conjugation of lessen (weak)

infinitive	lessen
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	les	leste
2nd person singular	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	(hebben) gelest
1)Archaic.

Etymology 2

From les.

Verb

lessen

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

Conjugation

Conjugation of lessen (weak)

infinitive	lessen
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	les	leste
2nd person singular	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	(hebben) gelest
1)Archaic.

Noun

lessen

1. Plural form of les

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Swedish

Adjective

lessen

1. Alternative spelling of ledsen.