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Shrunk vs Lessen - What's the difference?

shrunk | lessen |

As verbs the difference between shrunk and lessen

is that shrunk is (shrink) while lessen is to make less; to diminish; to reduce.

shrunk

English

Verb

(head)
  • (shrink)

    • Usage notes

    In casual use, found even in careful speech, interchangeable with shrank; in careful formal use, only used for past participle "I have'' shrunk ", while ''shrank is used for the past tense "I shrank". Compare sank/sunk. The inconsistent usage is due to the fact that shrink is a (Germanic strong verb), hence conjugated via ablaut (change of vowel rather than adding ), but these are irregular in modern English. The past tense "shrunk" is derived from the Old English plural past "scruncon". The same form is found in other past tenses, such as "slunk". The 1989 movie '' (formally: ''Honey, I Shrank the Kids'' or ''Honey, I've Shrunk the Kids ) is an example of the prevalence of the casual form. Note that in the 1844 translation of the , the form "shrank" is used in IV Maccabees 14:4] ("None of the seven youths turned cowardly, or shrank back from death", singular subject), whereas "shrunk" is used in [http://ebible.org/eng-Brenton/1MA03.htm I Maccabees 3:6 ("Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand", plural subject). The preferred form when used adjectivally is "shrunken".

    Usage notes

    * " shrunk/shrank", Paul Brians * " ON LANGUAGE; How 'Shrunk' Snuck In", by (William Safire), July 16, 1995, New York Times

    lessen

    English

    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.

    • Anagrams

    * * English ergative verbs ----