breakdown

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbɹeɪkdaʊn/ (UK); /ˈbɹeɪkˌdaʊn/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is a noun from the verbal phrase break down,^[2][3][4] which is attested by the late 14th century in the sense to take down by breaking.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A mechanical failure: 1786 in HTOED;^[5] a collapse, a falling apart, 1832 in Etymonline, 1827 in MWU.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In 19th-century American English a breakdown was also a noisy, lively country dance, a hoedown (1819 in HTOED, 1864 in Etymonline).^[5][2][4] A collapse of a relationship or system is from 1820,^[5] and of machinery from 1838 in Etymonline.^[2] A decline in health is from 1828,^[5] and a nervous breakdown from 1866.^[2] Chemical decomposition is from 1886,^[5] and in physics the failure of an insulator from 1897.^[5] An analysis in detail is from 1936, from the verb's sense to analyse, classify (1934).^[2] In New Zealand sawmills it is the first cutting of logs into timber (1866),^[5] and in music a passage that departs from a song's structure (1979).^[5]

Timeline

• 1786 – a mechanical failure.^[5]
• 1819 – a lively dance (US).^[5]
• 1820 – collapse of a system.^[5]
• 1866 – nervous breakdown.^[2]
• 1936 – a detailed analysis.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A failure to function, as of a machine or vehicle.
2. A collapse or failure, as of a relationship, system or talks.
3. A sudden collapse in physical or mental health.
4. Chemical or physical decomposition.
5. A detailed analysis or classification of figures or data.

Word family

• breakdown voltage
• nervous breakdown

Related words

• break down
• break
• down
• downfall

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)