Present participle of 'ebb,' meaning decreasing, flowing backward, or gradually weakening or declining.
From Old English 'ebba' (to go backward or recede), with the present participle suffix '-ing.' Originally described the ocean tide going out.
The word 'ebbing' is so evocative that poets use it constantly — it sounds like the slow, inevitable retreat of tide or life force, capturing something sadder than just 'decreasing.'
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