Where does “dwindle” come from?
Dwindle comes from Middle English dwinen, from Proto-Germanic dwīnaną, from Proto-Indo-European dgʷhey- and dʰew-, both meaning to waste away or diminish.
dwindle (English): To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or...
Definitions
- To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or...
Ancestry of “dwindle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | dwine | To wither, decline, pine away |
| 2 | Middle English | dwynen | — |
| 3 | Old English | dwīnan | to waste away |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | dwīnaną | to dwindle, to disappear |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dgʷhey- | to disappear, die |
Words derived from “dwindle”