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Added 9 October 2026

shrink

/ˈʃɹɪŋk/ noun

In Latin: minuō, dīminuō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about shrink at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A physician who specializes in psychiatry.

verb

Wither, as with a loss of moisture.
The fruit dried and shriveled
Draw back, as with fear or pain.
she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf
Reduce in size; reduce physically.
Hot water will shrink the sweater

Origin

From Middle English schrynken, from Old English sċrincan, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Cognate with Dutch schrinken (“to shrink”). The sense “psychologist, psychotherapist” is a clipping of head-shrinker.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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