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shrink

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shrink

[shringk] verb, shrank or, often, shrunk; shrunk or shrunk⋅en; shrink⋅ing; noun
–verb (used without object)
1. to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance: to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.
2. to contract or lessen in size, as from exposure to conditions of temperature or moisture: This cloth will not shrink if washed in lukewarm water.
3. to become reduced in extent or compass.
–verb (used with object)
4. to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.
5. Textiles. to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it.
–noun
6. an act or instance of shrinking.
7. a shrinking movement.
8. shrinkage.
9. Also, shrinker. Also called head shrinker. Slang. a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.

Origin:
bef. 900; 1955–60 for def. 9; ME schrinken, OE scrincan; c. MD schrinken, Sw skrynka to shrink, Norw skrukka old shrunken woman


shrink⋅a⋅ble, adjective
shrink⋅ing⋅ly, adverb


1. withdraw, recoil, quail. See wince. 3. See decrease.


3. increase.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shrink
shrink   (shrĭngk)   
v.   shrank (shrāngk) or shrunk (shrŭngk), shrunk or shrunk·en (shrŭng'kən), shrink·ing, shrinks

v.   intr.
  1. To become constricted from heat, moisture, or cold.

  2. To become reduced in amount or value; dwindle: His savings quickly shrank.

  3. To draw back instinctively, as from something alarming; recoil.

  4. To show reluctance; hesitate: shrink from making such a sacrifice.

v.   tr.
To cause to shrink.
n.  
    1. The act of shrinking.

    2. The degree to which something shrinks; shrinkage.

  1. Slang A psychotherapist.


[Middle English shrinken, to wither, shrivel up, from Old English scrincan; see sker-2 in Indo-European roots.]
shrink'a·ble adj., shrink'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
shrink

  1. n.
    a psychoanalyst or psychotherapist. : I dropped a bundle on a shrink, but it didn't help me.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

shrink 
O.E. scrincan (class III strong verb; past tense scranc, pp. scruncen), from P.Gmc. *skrenkanan (cf. M.Du. schrinken), probably from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend." Originally with causal shrench (cf. drink/drench). The meaning "draw back, recoil" (c.1300) perhaps was suggested by the behavior of snails. The slang sense of "psychiatrist" is first recorded 1966, from head-shrinker (1950). Shrink-wrap is attested from 1961.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: shrink
Pronunciation: 'shri[ng]k
Function: noun
: a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist called also headshrinker
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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