countdown

[kount-doun] Origin

count·down

[kount-doun]
noun
1.
the backward counting in fixed time units from the initiation of a project, as a rocket launching, with the moment of firing designated as zero.
2.
the final preparations made during this period.
3.
a period of increasing activity, tension, or anxiety, as before a deadline.

Origin:
1950–55, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase count down
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Countdown is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
countdown (ˈkaʊntˌdaʊn)
 
n
1.  the act of counting backwards to time a critical operation exactly, such as the launching of a rocket or the detonation of explosives
 
vb
2.  to count numbers backwards towards zero, esp in timing such a critical operation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

countdown
1953, Amer.Eng., in early use esp. of launches of rockets or missiles, from count (v.) + down.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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