dē-mĭnŭo, ui, ūtum, 3, v. a., to lessen by taking from, i. e. to make smaller, to lessen, diminish (cf. diminuo, to break up into small parts—freq. and class.).
I Lit.: de mina una quinque nummos, Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 10: istum laborem tibi, Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 43 (cf. Wagner ad loc.): ne de bonis quae Octavii fuissent deminui pateretur, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 10; cf. Cic. de Or. 3, 49, 189: deminuunt aequora venti, Lucr. 5, 268; 390: deminutae copiae, Caes. B. G. 7, 31, 3; 7, 73; id. B. C. 3, 2; Liv. 2, 1; Tac. A. 12, 64 al.: militum vires inopia frumenti deminuerat, Caes. B. C. 1, 52; Tac. A. 13, 58: fenore deminuto, Suet. Aug. 41: arborem, Tac. A. 13, 58 al.—
II Trop.
A In gen., to take away from, abate, lessen , etc.: de hujus praesidiis deminuturum putavit, Cic. Sull. 1, 2: neque de tanta voluptate et gratulatione quicquam fortuna deminuerat, Caes. B. G. 1, 53, 6: aliquid de jure aut de legibus, id. ib. 7, 33; Liv. 8, 34: de sua in Aeduos benevoientia, Caes. B. G. 7, 43, 4: de libertate mea, Cic. Planc. 38: ex regia potestate, Liv. 2, 1: alicui timor studia deminuit, Caes. B. C. 2, 31, 4: partem aliquam juris, Cic. Caecin. 2, 5; cf. Liv. 4, 24: sententiam hujus interdicti (coupled with inflrmata), Cic. Caecin. 13, 38: dignitatem nostri collegii, id. Brut. 1: potentiam, Caes. B. G. 1, 18, 8: lenitatem imperitantis, Tac. A. 16, 28: curam, Prop. 2, 18, 21 (3, 10, 21 M.) al.: se capite deminuere, to lose or forfeit civil rights, be deprived of citizenship , Cic. Top. 4, 18; 6, 29; Liv. 22, 60, 15; cf. caput, no. III. 1. b.—
B Esp. in grammat. lang., to form into a diminutive : sacellum ex sacro deminutum est, Gell. 6, 12, 6: deminuuntur adverbia, ut primum, primule; longe, longule , etc., Don. p. 21 Lind. N. cr. Cf.: deminutus, deminutio, and deminutivus.— Hence, dēmĭnūtus , a, um, P. a. (very rare), diminished, small, diminutive .
A In gen.: deminutior qualitas, Tert. adv. Marc. 2, 9.—
B In grammat. lang., diminutive , ὑποκοριστικός (for which, later, deminutivus): pro nomine integro positum sit deminutum (viz. in the expression magnum peculiolum ), Quint. 1, 5, 46.