Where does “breakdown” come from?
Breakdown is a noun formation from the English phrasal verb break down, whose sense development from physical separation to mechanical failure to psychological collapse reflects the verb's range of meanings.
breakdown (English): A failure, particularly mechanical; something...
Definitions
- A failure, particularly mechanical; something...
Ancestry of “breakdown”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | break down | To fail, to cease to function; To render or to... |