third person singular present tense; makes something or someone seem small, unimportant, or not worthy of respect.
Present tense form of 'belittle,' from 'be-' plus 'little.' The word emerged in American English in the 18th century, popularized by writers describing mockery and disdain.
Thomas Jefferson used 'belittle' in his writing, helping establish it as a key English word for describing how people diminish each other. It's a relatively young word in English—only about 250 years old!
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