Shrank
/ʃræŋk/noun
Past tense of shrink, meaning to become smaller or contract.
Did you know?Shrank comes from the same ancient Germanic root behind words for shrinking and shrinking away, tied to the idea of contracting or drawing tight rather than any magical meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to turn, bend, or contract”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skrinkanan
“to shrink, contract”
Old English
OE
scrincan
“to shrivel, wither, or waste away”
Middle English
ME
shrinken
“to contract, dwindle, or draw back”
Modern English
English
shrank
“past tense of shrink”