I.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.