lessen

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: lěʹsən, IPA^(key): /ˈlɛsən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• 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.

   • 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^[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) (pakasecʿnel)
• 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
• 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: 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)
• 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)

Conjunction

lessen

1. (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.

Anagrams

• Elsens, elsens, lenses, sensel

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-West Germanic *leskan, from Proto-Germanic *leskaną; class 5 strong, intransitive.
• lesken, from Proto-West Germanic *laskijan, 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
	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

• blussen

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
	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

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

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

Further reading

• lessen in Svensk ordbok.

Anagrams

• selens