decrease
UK[dɪˈkriːs]US[dɪˈkriːs]
v
to become or make something become smaller in size, amount, number, etc.
n
the process of reducing something or the amount by which it is reduced.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
crease
de
down, away
crease
grow
Etymology
The word 'decrease' entered English in the late 14th century from Anglo-French 'decreiss-', the stem of 'decreistre', which itself descended from Latin 'decrescere'. This Latin verb is a compound of the prefix 'de-', meaning "down from, away," and the verb 'crescere', meaning "to grow." The literal, ancient logic is therefore "to grow down" or "to grow away from" a previous state, which perfectly captures the concept of diminishing or becoming less. Over time, this physical sense of "ungrowing" evolved into the modern abstract meanings related to reduction in quantity, intensity, or degree. The antonym 'increase' follows the parallel but opposite construction, using the prefix 'in-', meaning "in, into."
Analysis
Structure: de (down, away) + crease (grow)
de: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "down, away, off, reversal."
crease: From Latin 'crescere', meaning "to grow, arise, increase." In this word, it is a bound root, not the free word 'crease' (a line in cloth/paper).
Examples
The company plans to decrease its carbon emissions by 50% over the next decade.
There has been a significant decrease in student applications this year.
Gradually decrease the heat and let the soup simmer for twenty minutes.