Dwine

/dwɪn/ verb

Definition

An archaic or dialectal form meaning to waste away, decline, or dwindle.

Etymology

From Old English dwīnan, meaning 'to waste away or pine away.' This is the original root form from which 'dwindle' was derived by adding the diminutive suffix -le.

Kelly Says

This ancient verb is the hidden ancestor of 'dwindle'—linguists use it to trace how English words evolve, and it shows that sometimes our modern words are just old words with fancy suffixes added!

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