Verb

(en verb)

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.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=December 16 , author=Denis Campbell , title=Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients' , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=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.}}

To become less.

Verb

(en verb)

To alleviate; to reduce the burden of.

To make light or lighter in weight.

To make less serious or more cheerful.

* Bible, Psalms xxxiv. 5

They looked unto him, were lightened .

To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.

to lighten''' an apartment with lamps or gas; to '''lighten the streets

* Dryden

A key of fire ran all along the shore, / And lightened all the river with a blaze.

To become light or lighter in weight.

To become less serious or more cheerful.

To become brighter or clearer; to brighten.

To burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with, or like, lightning; to flash.

* Shakespeare

This dreadful night, / That thunders, lightens , opens graves, and roars / As doth the lion.

To emit or disclose in, or as if in, lightning; to flash out, like lightning.

* Shakespeare

His eye lightens forth / Controlling majesty.

To descend; to light.

* Book of Common Prayer

O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us.

To illuminate with knowledge; to enlighten.

* Sir J. Davies

Lighten my spirit with one clear heavenly ray.