immĭnŭo (inm-), ŭi, ūtum, 3, v. a. [inminuo], to lessen, diminish a thing (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.; cf. diminuo, comminuo).
I Lit.
A In gen.: si istas exiguas copias quam minime imminueris, Cic. Fam. 3, 3, 2: pondus, Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 47.—
B Pregn., to weaken , impair , enfeeble : corpus otio, animum libidinibus imminuebant, Tac. H. 2, 93; cf.: Gauda, morbis confectus, et ob eam caussam mente paululum inminuta, Sall. J. 65, 1: vires (Venus), Lucr. 5, 1017; cf. ib. 626.—In mal. part.: virginem, Ap. Flor. p. 350; Lact. 1, 10 fin. —
II Trop.
A In gen., to lessen , diminish , abate : aestivorum tempus comitiorum mora imminuerat, Sall. J. 44, 3: quod populi semper proprium fuit, quod nemo imminuit, nemo mutavit, Cic. Agr. 2, 7, 19: imminuitur aliquid de voluptate, id. de Or. 1, 61, 259: nihil ex consuetudine luxus atque desidiae, Suet. Ner. 42: postquam se dolor imminuit, Ov. H. 15, 113: verbum imminutum, contracted , Cic. Or. 47, 157.—
B In partic., pregn., to encroach upon , to violate , injure , subvert , ruin , destroy : nullum jus tam sanctum atque integrum, quod non ejus scelus atque perfidia violarit et imminuerit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 109: cupiditas imminuta ac debilitata, id. Phil. 12, 3, 7: bellum attenuatum atque imminutum, id. de Imp. Pomp. 11, 30: pudicitiam, Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 90: auctoritatem, Cic. Att. 1, 18, 5; cf. id. Verr. 2, 4, 27, § 60: jus legationis, id. ib. 2, 1, 33, § 84: laudem alicujus, id. Att. 14, 17, A, 2: libertatem, id. Caecin. 12, 35: Bocchi pacem, Sall. J. 81, 4: mentes hominum (ebrietas), Gell. 15, 2, 4: Agrippa discidio domum imminuerat, Tac. A. 2, 86.—With acc. pers. only in Tac.: quamquam Augusta se violari et imminui quereretur, Tac. A. 2, 34: perculso Seneca, promptum fuit Rufum Fenium imminuere, id. ib. 14, 57.
VII —Hence, immĭnūtus , a, um, P. a., diminished , smaller , weak : mens, Tac. A. 6, 46: modus intercalandi interdum cumulatior, interdum imminutior, Sol. 1, § 44