diminution

Etymology

From Middle English diminucioun, from Anglo-Norman diminuciun, Old French diminucion, from Latin dīminūtiō.

noun

  1. A lessening, decrease or reduction.
    The new emission standards have produced a measurable diminution in air pollution.
    That’s the question at the heart of [Donald Trump's] re-election bid, because his strategy isn’t really “law and order” or racism or a demonization of liberals as monument-phobic wackadoodles or a diminution of Joe Biden as a doddering wreck. 2020, Frank Bruni, Donald Trump Is the Best Ever President in the History of the Cosmos
  2. The act or process of making diminutive.
  3. (music) a compositional technique where the composer shortens the melody by shortening its note values.

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