What's the difference between diminution and lessening?

Diminution


Definition:

  • (n.) The act of diminishing, or of making or becoming less; state of being diminished; reduction in size, quantity, or degree; -- opposed to augmentation or increase.
  • (n.) The act of lessening dignity or consideration, or the state of being deprived of dignity; a lowering in estimation; degradation; abasement.
  • (n.) Omission, inaccuracy, or defect in a record.
  • (n.) In counterpoint, the imitation of, or reply to, a subject, in notes of half the length or value of those the subject itself.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Age, histological type, number or location of the index diminutive polyps, were not associated with proximal lesions.
  • (2) The rate of removal of exogenous PGE2 in the hind limb circulation was not influenced by HC, suggesting that the diminution of PG release by HC results from the suppression of PG generation rather than from the enhancement of degradation.
  • (3) Incubation of freshly isolated rat hepatocytes with highly purified radiolabeled rat transferrin in weakly buffered medium in the presence of 10 mM ethanol resulted in a marked diminution of iron uptake by these cells, associated with a greater pH depression than in ethanol-free control studies.
  • (4) The effect was more pronounced in those patients with a greater basal excretion of THP and in those with a more significant diminution of their bone mass.
  • (5) After intact, cycling female mice received subcutaneous injections of antipain and leupeptin for 16 days, their uteri showed significant diminution in weight and total DNA when compared to untreated controls.
  • (6) The fibrosis of the gastric wall with motility disturbances, and the diminution of acid and pepsin production from damage to the glandular elements, would weigh against the addition of a vagotomy to the drainage procedure.
  • (7) The content of membrane lipids also diminished continuously up to 90 years of age, when a marked diminution in level of gangliosides and cerebrosides occurred, a result indicating a rapid reduction in amount of neuronal membranes and myelin.
  • (8) The tonic influences were expressed in an increase in the amplitude parameters of the responses of the visual cortex in conditions of the formation in the posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus of a focus of heightened excitability (anode polarization), and their perceptible diminution with potassium depression in this nucleus.
  • (9) Large loads of aspartate cause 20% diminution of glutathione in outer cortex, due entirely to changes in proximal tubule segments.
  • (10) Rabbits immunized with the flagella developed an immune response to the flagella but showed no statistically significant prolongation of incubation time or diminution of lesion severity when challenged intradermally with 4 X 10(3) Treponema pallidum organisms.
  • (11) Major changes include an early diminution in myofibrillar density, accompanied by a small reduction in mitochondrial density.
  • (12) Simultaneous treatment with both drugs resulted in a decrease in the quantity of immune complexes and a diminution of the migration inhibition.
  • (13) The results presented in this report suggest that the diminution of interphase cytoplasmic microtubules in tumor cells is probably due to the deficiency of microtubule organizing mechanism in interphase tumor cells.
  • (14) Animals irradiated with 1 Gy showed no diminution in plasma and ileal DAO activities through Day 13 relative to nonirradiated controls.
  • (15) Response to reimmunization was characterized by a significant acceleration and diminution of skin response, but not to the degree seen in an equivalent group who had received their primary immunization percutaneously.
  • (16) During the operation and the postoperative period various hemorheological and hemostasiological alterations acquire clinical significance: 1. hyperreagibility of platelets with increased aggregation and adhesion tendency 2. changes in fibrinogen, albumin, and globulin concentrations, which affect viscosity and red cell aggregation 3. impairment of red cell deformability 4. increase in clotting factors 5. disturbance of fibrinolysis characterized by diminution of plasmatic plasmin and increase in antiplasmin activity In addition, anesthetic techniques have also been shown to affect hemorheological and hemostasiological parameters.
  • (17) In dilute solution this is indeed observed, and the diminution in tetramer concentration when 30% of normal spectrin is replaced by alpha beta' dimers, amounts to only a small proportion.
  • (18) In contrast to acidosis induced in vivo, mitochondria from normal rats subjected to a diminution in medium pH, either by manipulation of HCO3 concentration or PCO2, significantly decrease NH3 production.
  • (19) All individuals manifested a marked diminution of CD4+ cells.
  • (20) Flow cytometric determination of DNA content in R3327AT-3 cells treated in vitro indicated a selective diminution of cells in the G2 and M phases of the cell cycle.

Lessening


Definition:

  • (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Lessen

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The transmission of alcoholism and its effects are thereby lessened for future generations of children of alcoholics.
  • (2) Bacteria can stop or lessen antibodies synthesis process.
  • (3) Behavioral variables, including interreinforcement interval and drug self-administration history, appear to be important determinants of whether or not reinforcement will be demonstrated, particularly among the benzodiazepines; but the range of conditions under which behavioral and pharmacological variables interact to promote or lessen the likelihood of self-administration of these drugs remains to be determined experimentally.
  • (4) "It is in my power to lessen their sentence – it's not excluded that that will happen."
  • (5) Diminished pressor responsiveness was considered to be due to concurrent reduction of central sympathetic vasomotor activity, because sympathetic nerve responses to hypothalamic stimulation were appreciably lessened in tripamide-treated SHR.
  • (6) The introduction of biological valves or of valves with a lessened risk of embolism is highly desirable in such cases.
  • (7) In this paper, these and related facts were summarized and some precautions were suggested to lessen the increase of resistant strains in this country.
  • (8) Recent improvements in surgical techniques and selective embolization have lessened the risks of surgical excision, decreased the blood loss, and diminished the time required for resection.
  • (9) We have previously shown that in the cat, taurine is an osmoprotective molecule that lessens mortality, neurological morbidity, and brain-cell dehydration during chronic hypernatremic dehydration.
  • (10) Rats given Sendai virus concurrently with the FCA, or any time after FCA was injected, did not have a lessened severity of the arthritic reaction, as compared with that in control animals.
  • (11) A decrease in relative risks since diagnosis of the first primary cancer was seen that may partly be attributed to a lessening of the intensity of medical surveillance with time.
  • (12) Incorporation of porosity into the grafts, which is necessary for tissue ingrowth, is expected to lessen this difference.
  • (13) The data strongly suggest that conferring the sick role on the mentally ill does not lessen rejection, but may, in some instances, increase social rejection.
  • (14) In contrast, hydroxyurea treatment was associated with a 1.5-fold to sevenfold increase in F cells and a 2.3- to 27-fold increase in the percentage of Hb F. In the three patients whose response reached a plateau, hydroxyurea treatment was associated with lessened hemolysis, decreased serum bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase levels, and prolonged 51chromium-labeled RBC survival.
  • (15) O’Malley also called for: The relationship between federal immigration law enforcement and local law enforcement to be significantly lessened.
  • (16) Utilization of outpatient surgical centers helps reduce the cost of health care, lessens the disruption of patients' personal lives, and promotes their recovery through early ambulation and a lower incidence of postoperative nosocomial complications.
  • (17) It also lessened the hypertonus of isolated guinea-pig trachea caused by pilocarpine.
  • (18) The use of tissue allografts lessens patient morbidity and suffering and in many cases spares limbs and lives.
  • (19) Unlike acute combinations, chronic imipramine lessened the rate reducing effect of methadone.
  • (20) The results of a bronchial challenge to Aspergillus species, however, remained positive; these positive results suggest that long-term memory immune mechanisms may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and lessen the importance of precipitins in establishing a diagnosis.

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