To fall away or decline; to lapse or slip back into a previous condition.
From the prefix 'de-' plus 'lapse,' which comes from Latin 'lapsus' meaning 'a fall' or 'a slip.' This is a rare or archaic English word.
Old words like 'delapse' show that English once had more specific vocabulary for subtle concepts—this one captures the idea of gradually slipping backward into old habits or conditions.
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