Etymologically
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downturn

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 05:07. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈdaʊntɜːn/[1]
  • US: /ˈdaʊntɝn/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English down- + turn.[2][3] Dictionary.com takes it as a noun use of the verb phrase turn down.[4] The verb downturn is formed from down- and the verb turn; the OED compares the earlier phrasal verb and downturned.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A downward turn of a physical movement or feature: 1658, in W. Percey's Compleat Swimmer.[2]

Semantic evolution

The economic sense, a decline in business activity or a fall in a rate or value, is recorded by the OED from 1858, in the Daily Missouri Republican;[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date it to 1926,[3][5] and Dictionary.com to 1925–30.[4] It belongs to an old pattern of describing money and adversity in terms of direction, which the Historical Thesaurus traces to the 14th century.[6] In phonetics a downturn is a fall in pitch (1955), the opposite of an upturn.[2] The verb, to turn something downwards, is recorded from 1909; its use for an economy that declines, after the noun, from 1980.[2]

Timeline

  • 1658 – a downward turn.[2]
  • 1858 – a decline, especially in business or economic activity.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date this sense to 1926.[3][5]
  • 1909 – verb, to turn something downwards.[2]
  • 1955 – in phonetics, a fall in pitch.[2]
  • 1980 – verb, to experience a downturn.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A decline, especially in business or economic activity: a downturn in car sales.[7][5][8][2]
  2. A turning downward, or the state of being turned down.[8][2]
  3. In phonetics, a fall in pitch.[2]

Verb

  1. To decline, especially of business or the economy.[2]
  2. (rare) To turn something downwards; to fold down.[2]
  • upturn
  • turn down
  • down
  • turn

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Mapping Metaphor with the Historical Thesaurus, University of Glasgow, mappingmetaphor.arts.gla.ac.uk
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster