Nearby Words
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.
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Unshrinking
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Origin:
before 900; 1955–60 for def. 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka to shrink, Norwegian skrukka old shrunken woman
before 900; 1955–60 for def. 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka to shrink, Norwegian skrukka old shrunken woman
Related forms
shrink·a·ble, adjective
shrink·ing·ly, adverb
non·shrink·a·ble, adjective
non·shrink·ing, adjective
non·shrink·ing·ly, adverb
EXPANDo·ver·shrink, verb, -shrank or, often, -shrunk; -shrunk or -shrunk·en; -shrink·ing.
un·shrink·a·ble, adjective
un·shrink·ing, adjective
un·shrink·ing·ly, adverb
COLLAPSEAntonyms
3. increase.
3. increase.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To unshrinking
Etymonline
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
EXPAND snails. The slang sense of "psychiatrist" is first recorded 1966, from head-shrinker (1950). Shrink-wrap is attested from 1961.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
shrink definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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