shrink
pronunciation
How to pronounce shrink in British English:
UK [ʃrɪŋk]
How to pronounce shrink in American English:
US [ʃrɪŋk]
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- Noun:
- a physician who specializes in psychiatry
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- Verb:
- wither, especially with a loss of moisture
- draw back, as with fear or pain
- reduce in size; reduce physically
- become smaller or draw together
- decrease in size, range, or extent
Word Origin
- shrink (v.)
- Old English scrincan "to draw in the limbs, contract, shrivel up; wither, pine away" (class III strong verb; past tense scranc, past participle scruncen), from Proto-Germanic *skrink- (cognates: Middle Dutch schrinken), probably from PIE root *(s)ker- (3) "to turn, bend" (see ring (n.1)). Originally with causal shrench (compare drink/drench). Sense of "become reduced in size" recorded from late 13c. The meaning "draw back, recoil" (early 14c.) perhaps was suggested by the behavior of snails. Transitive sense, "cause to shrink" is from late 14c. Shrink-wrap is attested from 1961 (shrinking-wrap from 1959). Shrinking violet "shy person" attested from 1882.
- shrink (n.)
- "an act of shrinking," 1580s, from shrink (v.). Slang meaning "psychiatrist," (1966) is from head-shrinker.
Example
- 1. Not all japanese workers are seeing their salaries shrink .
- 2. The imf reckons it will shrink by 1.7 % this year .
- 3. China 's trade surplus should shrink , contributing to growth elsewhere .
- 4. Soon afterwards the working-age population began to shrink .
- 5. We have to grow our economy and shrink our deficits .