Etymologically
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breakdown

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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)