dwindle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdwɪn.dəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is a frequentative and diminutive of dwine “to waste away”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Middle English dwinen,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English dwīnan (“to shrink, waste away”),^[2][3][4][5] with the suffix -le.^[3][6] It is related to Old Norse dvína “to pine away”^[3][4][5] and, more distantly, to die.^[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To become smaller and smaller; to shrink or waste away (1596, in Shakespeare).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Figurative uses followed quickly: to decline in quality or value (1678).^[7][6] The transitive sense, to make smaller, is recorded before 1661.^[7][5]

Timeline

• about 1000 – Old English dwīnan.^[3]
• 1596 – to shrink, waste away.^[7][3][4][5]
• before 1661 – transitive, to reduce.^[7]
• 1678 – to degenerate.^[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To become steadily smaller or fewer until little remains; to shrink.
2. To decline in quality; to degenerate.
3. To make something steadily smaller.

Related words

• die

Usage notes

Random House gives diminish, decline, lessen and wane as synonyms, refers to decrease for a discussion, and gives increase and magnify as antonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press