belittle

verb

Etymology: From be- + little. Coined by Thomas Jefferson in 1782.

1. To knowingly say that (someone or something) is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation.

   “Don't belittle your colleagues.”

   “An essential part of any German campaign is obviously the efficiency of its lines of communication and therefore it is dangerous to belittle our enemy's strength in this direction.”

2. To make small.

   “Now, the big blue space of river and sky belittled him, ulled him back into bewildered childhood.”