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Added 9 October 2026

shrivel

/ˈʃɹɪvəl/ verb

In Latin: marceō Wiktionary

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

Wither, as with a loss of moisture.
The fruit dried and shriveled
Decrease in size, range, or extent.
His earnings shrank

Origin

First recorded as shriveled (“shrivelled”), probably of North Germanic origin related to dialectal Swedish skryvla (“to wrinkle, shrivel”); perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną (“to shrivel, shrink”) or *skrimpaną (“to shrink”).

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

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