Shrimped

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have made something smaller, weaker, or less important than it was before
2. To reduce the size, impact, or value of something in a significant way
3. To diminish the stature or significance of an individual or object through actions or decisions

Etymology: "Shrimped" is the past tense of "shrimp" used as a verb, most commonly meaning "went fishing for shrimp" or "caught shrimp." The verb grows from the noun "shrimp," which English took into use in the Middle Ages. The noun may be linked to an older Germanic root meaning "to shrink" or "to shrivel," which would fit the small, curled-up look of the animal, though the exact connection is uncertain. The sense of a small or puny person, as in "little shrimp," came later, and the verb for catching the creatures followed the noun's use as a food and fishing target.