A blend of two Old French verbs meaning 'to make smaller' — the PIE root *mey- also gave us 'minute' and 'minimum.'
To make or become smaller, fewer, or less; to reduce in size, extent, or importance.
A blend of two Old French verbs that entered Middle English simultaneously: 'diminue' (from Old French 'diminuer,' from Latin 'diminuere,' to break into small pieces, to reduce) and 'minish' (from Old French 'menuiser,' to make small, from Latin 'minutia,' smallness, from 'minutus,' small). Latin 'diminuere' is composed of 'dis-' (apart, in different directions) + 'minuere' (to make small, to lessen), from PIE *mey- (small, few, to lessen). The PIE root *mey- also produced