dwindle

/ˈdwɪn.dəl/

Etymology

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwynen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

dwindle means to decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.

Why this word is great

DWINDLE — [Verb] To diminish or shrink gradually in size, amount, or intensity. From the frequentative form of the now-dialectal verb dwine (from Old English dwīnan, "to waste away"), with the suffix -le. Unlike "diminish," which can imply a sudden or abstract reduction, or "deplete," which suggests the definitive exhaustion of a finite reserve, to dwindle is to chart a quiet, inexorable attrition. It is the slow leak of sand from a torn pocket, the nightly shortening of a winter candle, and the imperceptible ebbing of a crowd from a town square until one stands alone—a patient proof that most endings are not a bang, but a prolonged, whispered sigh.

verb

To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.“Their supplies began to dwindle after a week.”
To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.“VVearie Seu'nights, nine times nine, / Shall he dvvindle, peake, and pine: […]”
To lessen; to bring low.“Our drooping days are dwindled down to nought.”
To break up or disperse.“there were only five hundred foot and three hundred horse left with him, for the blocking of Plymouth; the rest were dwindled away”