What's the difference between diminish and shorten?

Diminish


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make smaller in any manner; to reduce in bulk or amount; to lessen; -- opposed to augment or increase.
  • (v. t.) To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken.
  • (v. t.) To make smaller by a half step; to make (an interval) less than minor; as, a diminished seventh.
  • (v. t.) To take away; to subtract.
  • (v. i.) To become or appear less or smaller; to lessen; as, the apparent size of an object diminishes as we recede from it.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Diminished CMD was most common with AR (7 of 12) but was also seen with acute tubular necrosis (2 of 6) and cyclosporin toxicity (2 of 3).
  • (2) If women psychiatrists are to fill some of the positions in Departments of Psychiatry, which will fall vacant over the next decade, much more attention must be paid to eliminating or diminishing the multiple obstacles for women who chose a career in academic psychiatry.
  • (3) The results indicated that the role of contact inhibition phenomena in arresting cellular proliferation was diminished in perfusion system environments.
  • (4) In vitro studies in cardiac Purkinje fibers suggested that reversal of amitriptyline-induced cardiac membrane effects by sodium bicarbonate may be attributed not only to alkalinization but also to increased in extracellular sodium concentration, diminishing the local anesthetic action of amitriptyline and resulting in less sodium channel block.
  • (5) Virus replication in nasal turbinates was not diminished while infection in the lung was suppressed sufficiently for the infected mice to survive the infection.
  • (6) The last stems from trends such as declining birth rate, an increasingly mobile society, diminished importance of the nuclear family, and the diminishing attractiveness of professions involved with providing maintenance care.
  • (7) In contrast, insertion of a pre-S(1) sequence between HBcAg residues 75 and 83 abrogated recognition of HBcAg by 5 of 6 anti-HBc monoclonal antibodies and diminished recognition by human polyclonal anti-HBc.
  • (8) In addition, the activity of the large cells diminished with time after primary immunization, but that of the small cells remained stable.
  • (9) The antibody reacted with adult as well as with cord red cells, and its reactivity was strongly diminished by treatment of the cells with neuraminidase and to a lesser degree by treatment with protease.
  • (10) The concomitant reduction in aortic pressure and increase in heart rate following total occlusion of the portal vein were most pronounced during the first weeks after stenosis, and were probably due to diminished venous return to the heart.
  • (11) Conversely, the latter diminished basal plasma glucose levels.
  • (12) Subsequently, the inflammatory reaction diminishes, as can be seen on smears from tympanic effusions.
  • (13) Both Apo AI (48%) and Apo AII (5.5%) were greatly diminished and Apo E was present in remarkably high amounts (39%) with two additional isoforms (Apo E'1 and Apo E'2).
  • (14) (3) The diminished autophosphorylation rate was due to a decreased responsiveness of the kinase activity to the action of insulin.
  • (15) The isoenzyme mobility diminished in both tumour chromatin extracts, and the slow migrating gamma isoenzyme exhibited sensitivity to L-cysteine inhibition.
  • (16) Segmental function was diminished an average of 67.8% in "noses" and 46.6% in "bridges".
  • (17) Flexion of the knee beyond 40 degrees progressively diminished viability of the edges of the wound, particularly the lateral edge.
  • (18) EEG waves were similar during Aw and Qw but they diminished in amplitude and frequency when passing from these states to Qs, and both parameters increased during As.
  • (19) After 3-5 days of side-arm traction, swelling had usually diminished sufficiently to allow the elbow to be safely hyperflexed to stabilize the fracture after elective closed reduction.
  • (20) In the patients with aplastic anaemia the iron flux was diminished, but never eliminated, demonstrating that the exchangeable compartment was not solely erythroblastic, but included non-erythroid transferrin receptors.

Shorten


Definition:

  • (a.) To make short or shorter in measure, extent, or time; as, to shorten distance; to shorten a road; to shorten days of calamity.
  • (a.) To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen; to abridge; to curtail; to contract; as, to shorten work, an allowance of food, etc.
  • (a.) To make deficient (as to); to deprive; -- with of.
  • (a.) To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, pot liquor, or the like.
  • (v. i.) To become short or shorter; as, the day shortens in northern latitudes from June to December; a metallic rod shortens by cold.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The extent of the infectious process was limited, however, because the life span of the cultures was not significantly shortened, the yields of infectious virus per immunofluorescent cell were at all times low, and most infected cells contained only a few well-delineated small masses of antigen, suggestive of an abortive infection.
  • (2) Hearing loss at 8 kHz would shorten the I-V interval, while a loss at 4 kHz would be expected to lengthen the interval.
  • (3) Both systems indicated that the Kupffer cell modified endotoxin by enriching the lipid content of the molecule and shortening the length of the O-antigen.
  • (4) Platelet survival time in patients with Crohn's disease proved to be significantly shortened (p less than 0.001), whereas platelet turnover appeared augmented.
  • (5) Shorten said any arrangement needed to be consistent with international obligations, with asylum seekers afforded due process and their claims properly assessed.
  • (6) Rapid, on-site detection of chlamydial antigen in male FVU would shorten the infectious period by hastening diagnosis and treatment.
  • (7) Isometric exercise induces a significant shortening of both intervals although minor for QT so that the ratio significantly increases in comparison to baseline (p less than .001).
  • (8) Light-induced cone shortening provides a useful model for stuying nonmuscle contraction because it is linear, slow, and repetitive.
  • (9) In the V fibers, APD was lengthened by F, Q, and B, and shortened by L and M. The drug-induced changes in the relation between APD and CL were as in the P fibers.
  • (10) The CL was also longer in the duodenum, whereas the CD was shortened, indicating a reduction of the wave movements from the stomach antrum to the duodenum in the ranitidine periods.
  • (11) Chloride caused a significant concentration-dependent shortening of myosin rods due to destabilization of the alpha-helical double coiled rod structure.
  • (12) Strong correlations were found also between postsystolic shortening and thickening measured immediately before reperfusion and systolic shortening and thickening measured after recovery at 2-3 weeks (r = 0.73, n = 28; p less than 0.001 for shortening; r = 0.79, n = 12; p less than 0.01 for thickening).
  • (13) Slight but significant shortening of the latency of initial positivity in the evoked potential was observed after rearing in the enriched condition as compared to the data obtained from the littermates that were reared in the standard or impoverished conditions.
  • (14) When using pair stimula, barbamil shortens the period of absolute nonexcitation and the second phase of depression in the cycle of restituted H-reflexes to the second stimula in the pair.
  • (15) Accordingly, RV systolic SL shortening did not rise despite the substantial augmentation in RV outflow.
  • (16) Chloroquine administration shortened the time taken to reach peak plasma paracetamol concentration (tmax) in five of the volunteers.
  • (17) The survival time of the lambs was markedly shortened with the bubble oxygenator, although much longer than had been anticipated.
  • (18) An algorithm for the treatment of cryptococcosis complicating AIDS may shorten the duration of primary intravenous AB therapy.
  • (19) VT returned to control levels, expiratory time shortened, and breathing frequency increased.
  • (20) Isotonically, peak muscle shortening was reduced in the left muscle, whereas time to peak shortening was prolonged in the right myocardium.