wane

[weyn] verb, waned, wan·ing, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to decrease in strength, intensity, etc.: Daylight waned, and night came on. Her enthusiasm for the cause is waning.
2.
to decline in power, importance, prosperity, etc.: Colonialism began to wane after World War II.
3.
to draw to a close; approach an end: Summer is waning.
4.
(of the moon) to decrease periodically in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon. Compare wax2 ( def 2 ).
noun
5.
a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.
6.
the drawing to a close of life, an era, a period, etc.
7.
the waning of the moon.
8.
a period of waning.
9.
a defect in a plank or board characterized by bark or insufficient wood at a corner or along an edge, due to the curvature of the log.
00:10
Wane is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
10.
on the wane, decreasing; diminishing: The popularity of that song is on the wane.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English wanen (v.), Old English wanian to lessen; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle High German wanen, Old Norse vana to cause to wane, destroy

un·waned, adjective
un·wan·ing, adjective

wane, wax.


1, 2. diminish, fail, sink. 5. diminution; failure, decay.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
wane (weɪn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  Compare wax (of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moon
2.  to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc
3.  to draw to a close
 
n
4.  a decrease, as in size, strength, power, etc
5.  the period during which the moon wanes
6.  the act or an instance of drawing to a close
7.  a rounded surface or defective edge of a plank, where the bark was
8.  on the wane in a state of decline
 
[Old English wanian (vb); related to wan-, prefix indicating privation, wana defect, Old Norse vana]
 
'waney
 
adj
 
'wany
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wane
O.E. wanian "make or become smaller gradually," from P.Gmc. *wanojanan (cf. O.S. wanon, O.N. vana, O.Fris. wania, M.Du. waenen, O.H.G. wanon "to wane, to grow less"), from *wano- "lacking," from PIE *we-no-, from base *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (see vain). Related: waned, wanes.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wane

see wax and wane.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Adventurous eating doesn't necessarily wane after middle-age, either, although
  changes in the senses can affect food preferences.
In the long trip from phenom to aging veteran, his skills may have begun to
  wane, but his popularity has not.
They must keep changing these or their results will wane, along with profits.
He might as well have taken out an advert announcing that his celebrity was on
  the wane.
Idioms & Phrases
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