Falling down suddenly or folding inward, often losing structure or strength completely.
From Latin 'collapsus,' past participle of 'collabi' meaning 'to fall together,' from 'col-' (together) and 'labi' (to fall). Entered English in the 1600s.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed in 1940 due to wind vibrations—it became such a famous engineering disaster that engineers now design buildings specifically to prevent 'resonance collapse'!
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