mermar

Meaning

to reduce

Concepts

reduce

shrink

decrease

diminish

lessen

fall

shorten

dwindle

deplete

abate

contract

die away

eat up

extenuate

go down

lambaste

lower

make smaller

minimize

mitigate

prune

put down

remit

retrench

scale down

spoil

trim

use up

wane

wilt

wither

become less

cease burning

abridge

affect

attenuate

burn out

consume

curtail

cut

cut back

cut down on

decline

Synonyms

disminuir

menguar

encoger

decrecer

desaparecer

perjudicar

agotarse

amenguar

aminorar

disminuirse

marchitar

hacerse menos

afectar

volverse menos

contraer

dañar

debilitar

Hyphenated as

mer‧mar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/meɾˈmaɾ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Occitan: mermar

In summary

Ultimately from Vulgar Latin minimāre, a verb based on Latin minimus (“least”). Considering its rather late date of first attestation in Spanish (1603) and the absence of an inherited Portuguese counterpart, Coromines & Pascual suppose it was likely borrowed, through mercantile contacts, from Occitan mermar, a term well-attested since the twelfth century.