As a verb, “collapse” means to fall down suddenly or give way, often because of weakness or pressure. As a noun, it refers to the act or state of something falling apart or failing completely.
It comes from Latin “collapsus,” the past participle of “collabi,” meaning “to fall together,” from “com-” (together) and “labi” (to slip). The sense is of something sliding in on itself.
A collapse is literally a “falling together,” whether it’s a building, a star, or a financial system. That’s why it feels so shocking: everything that was spread out and stable suddenly rushes inward at once.
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