Trickle-Down
/ˈtrɪk.əl daʊn/noun
A political or economic theory that benefits given to the wealthy or powerful are expected to spread to everyone else.
Did you know?The phrase is modern political jargon, but it rides on the ancient English verb *trickle*, which likely imitated the sound of liquid falling drop by drop—so the metaphor was built to feel slow, thin, and almost painfully insufficient.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
tracian
“to tremble, shake”
Middle English
ME
triklen
“to flow or fall in small drops”
19th Century
English
trickle
“to flow in a thin stream or in drops”
20th Century
English
trickle-down
“a theory that economic benefits at the top will gradually reach those below”
Modern English
English
trickle-down
“describing the belief that advantages for the wealthy will spread through the economy”