Dwindling
/ˈdwɪn.dəl.ɪŋ/noun
Gradually becoming smaller, weaker, or less abundant.
Did you know?Dwindle is connected to the old verb “dwine,” meaning to waste away or perish—a vocabulary trail that makes gradual loss sound almost like a ritual disappearance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*dwinaną
“To fade, waste away, or diminish; reconstructed ancestor of later Germanic forms.”
Old English
Old English
dwinan
“To waste away, vanish, or perish.”
Middle English
Middle English
dwinen
“To become feeble or waste away.”
15th–16th Century
English
dwindle
“To diminish gradually; probably formed from dwine with an expanded or frequentative ending.”
17th Century
English
dwindling
“The ongoing process of becoming smaller, weaker, or fewer.”
Modern English
English
dwindling
“Gradually decreasing in size, strength, number, or importance.”