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Added 9 October 2026

dwindle

/ˈdwɪn.dəl/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dwindle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Become smaller or lose substance.
Her savings dwindled down

Origin

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwynen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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