withdrawal

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wɪðˈdɹɔː(ə)l/, /wɪθˈdɹɔː(ə)l/ (UK); /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/, /wɪθˈdɹɔ(ə)l/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is from withdraw with the suffix -al,^[2][3] replacing earlier nouns such as withdrawing (early 14th century), withdraught (mid-14th century) and withdrawment (1630s).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of retiring or retreating from a place or position: 1824;^[4] the act of taking back, the 1820s in Etymonline.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The retraction of a statement is from 1835,^[2][4] and the removal of money from a bank from 1861.^[2][4] It is a synonym for coitus interruptus from 1889.^[2][4] The physical reaction to stopping an addictive drug is from 1929, with an isolated use from 1897,^[2][4] and withdrawal symptom from 1910.^[2] The psychological sense, retreat from social involvement and reality, is by 1916.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1824 – a retreat.^[4]
• 1835 – a retraction.^[4]
• 1861 – a withdrawal of money.^[4]
• 1897 – stopping a drug.^[4]
• 1910 – withdrawal symptom.^[2]
• 1916 – psychological withdrawal.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of withdrawing; a retreat or removal.
2. The removal of money from an account.
3. Detachment from social or emotional involvement.
4. The stopping of an addictive drug, and the physical and mental reactions that follow.
5. The retraction of a statement or offer.

Related words

• withdraw
• retreat
• retraction

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press