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
Waning is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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.
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.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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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
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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.

waning
O.E. wanunge, wonunge, from wanian (see wane).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Then move on to something else if you feel the interest is waning.
It is late afternoon, and the already dim verdant light of the rain forest is
  waning.
But getting a well-crafted goal in the waning minutes of extra time to crown a
  champion is a rare and heart-pounding treat.
Symptoms may last a year or more, and typically have a waxing and waning course.
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