dwindle

views updated Jun 11 2018

dwin·dle / ˈdwindl/ • v. [intr.] diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength: traffic has dwindled to a trickle | [as adj.] (dwindling) dwindling resources. ORIGIN: late 16th cent.: frequentative of Scots and dialect dwine ‘fade away,’ from Old English dwīnan, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch dwīnen and Old Norse dvína.

dwindle

views updated Jun 11 2018

dwindle XVI. f. (dial.) dwine, OE. dwīnan waste away = (M)LG., MDu. dwīnen, ON. dvina; see -LE 2.