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lessening

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less·en  (lsn)
v. less·ened, less·en·ing, less·ens
v.tr.
1. To make less; reduce.
2. Archaic To make little of; belittle.
v.intr.
To become less; decrease. See Synonyms at decrease.

[Middle English lessen, lessenen, from lesse, less; see less.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.lesseninglessening - a change downward; "there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales"
alteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
shrinkage, shrinking - process or result of becoming less or smaller; "the material lost 2 inches per yard in shrinkage"
casualty - a decrease of military personnel or equipment
sinking - a slow fall or decline (as for lack of strength); "after several hours of sinking an unexpected rally rescued the market"; "he could not control the sinking of his legs"
attrition - a wearing down to weaken or destroy; "a war of attrition"
dwindling, dwindling away - a becoming gradually less; "there is no greater sadness that the dwindling away of a family"
waning - a gradual decrease in magnitude or extent; "the waning of his enthusiasm was obvious"; "the waxing and waning of the moon"

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Partly from its peculiar colour, partly from a superstition which represented it as feeling the influence of the deity whom it adorned, and growing and lessening in lustre with the waxing and waning of the moon, it first gained the name by which it continues to be known in India to this day--the name of THE MOONSTONE.
"They are an uncommonly handsome pair," he said, "and if they are as good as they look I am sure you need not wish for anything better; but I see you still hold that pet scheme of yours for worrying your horses and lessening their power.
I did my best to stop the torrent of his tears and protestations by persisting in treating the whole adventure as a good subject for a joke; and succeeded at last, as I imagined, in lessening Pesca's overwhelming sense of obligation to me.
 
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