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crumble - 6 dictionary results

crum⋅ble

[kruhm-buhl] verb, -bled, -bling, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to break into small fragments or crumbs.
–verb (used without object)
2. to fall into small pieces; break or part into small fragments.
3. to decay or disintegrate gradually: The ancient walls had crumbled.
–noun
4. a crumbly or crumbled substance.
5. crumbles, bits of crisp bacon, bread, etc., added to other foods, esp. as a topping.
6. British Dialect. crumb; particle; fragment.

Origin:
1375–1425; earlier crymble, crimble; late ME kremelen, akin to crome crumb; see -le


crum⋅bling⋅ness, noun


1. mash, shatter. 2. disintegrate.
crum·ble   (krŭm'bəl)   
v.   crum·bled, crum·bling, crum·bles

v.   tr.
To break into small fragments or particles.
v.   intr.
  1. To fall into small fragments or particles; disintegrate. See Synonyms at decay.
  2. To give way; collapse: an ego that crumbles under pressure.
n.  A baked dessert of fruit topped with a crumbly pastry mixture: cherry crumble.

[Alteration (influenced by crumb) of Middle English cremelen, from Old English *crymelen, frequentative of gecrymmian, to break into crumbs, from cruma, crumb.]

Crumble

Crum"ble\ (kr?m"b'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Crumbled (-b'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Crumbling (-bl?ng).] [Dim. of crumb, v. t., akin to D. krimelen G. kr?meln.] To break into small pieces; to cause to fall in pieces.

He with his bare wand can unthread thy joints, And crumble all thy sinews. --Milton.

Crumble

Crum"ble\, v. i. To fall into small pieces; to break or part into small fragments; hence, to fall to decay or ruin; to become disintegrated; to perish.

If the stone is brittle, it will crumble and pass into the form of gravel. --Arbuthnot.

The league deprived of its principal supports must soon crumble to pieces. --Prescott.
Language Translation for : crumble
Spanish: desmigajar, desmenuzar,
German: zerkrümeln,
Japanese: ぼろぼろに砕ける

crumble 
O.E. *crymelan, presumed freq. of gecrymman "to break into crumbs," from cruma (see crumb). The -b- is probably on analogy of Fr. words like humble, where it belongs. Crummy "easily crumbled" (1567) yielded a slang sense of "poorly made" (1859), but probably was influenced by mid-19c. slang crumb "body louse" (cf. lousy).
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