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slighten

verb
/ˈslaɪ.tən/

Etymology

From slight + -en. Related to German schlichten (“to smoothen”). More at slight.

  1. inherited from *slihtaz✻ — “slippery, flat, level, plain”
  2. inherited from sliht — “smooth, level”
  3. inherited from slight — “bad, of poor quality, unimportant, trivial, slender, slim, smooth, level”
  4. suffixed as slighten — “slight + en”

Definitions

  1. To make or become slight

    To make or become slight; make or become less pronounced, less noticeable, or less obvious.

    • His smile slightened as if he knew they talked of him.
    • With tissue I softened my rouge, slightened my lipstick; studying my redesigns in my green compact's mirror I marveled, seeing yet another strange face.

  2. To slight.

    • […] as God forbid that anyone should hint a slightening word of what our sons and brothers are doing just now, and doing for us!
    • They may take ill or feel slightened for not having been approached directly.
    • It is an odious wisdom to blaspheme, / Much more to slighten, or deny their powers

  3. To level out, smooth, or flatten.

    • to slighten the sheets out

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for slighten. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA