Shrunk

/ʃrʌŋk/ verb

Definition

Past tense and past participle of shrink; became or made smaller in size.

Etymology

From Old English 'scrincan' meaning 'to curl up.' The word has Germanic roots and the '-unk' ending is a strong verb form, similar to 'drink/drunk' or 'sink/sunk.'

Kelly Says

English has two acceptable past tenses for shrink—'shrunk' and 'shrank'—and we choose based on whether we're talking about the verb actively or as an adjective, showing how English lets us be flexible with grammar!

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