Follow “shrink” through time. Which part surprised you? #words #vocabulary
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A WORD THROUGH TIME: Where did “shrink” come from?. Shrink is an old verb for contracting or drawing back. Its slang use for a psychiatrist or psychologist is a clipping of headshrinker, a term first used literally for a person said to shrink human heads and later applied, usually disparagingly or humorously, to mental-health professionals.
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THE CONNECTION: Follow the connection. The psychiatric headshrinker appears in mid-twentieth-century American usage; a 1950 example calls it Hollywood jargon. The shorter shrink is documented in print by 1965. Explanations based on shrinking egos or problems are later guesses, not an established origin.
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THE MEANING TODAY: “shrink”. Say it: /ˈʃɹɪŋk/ Meaning: Wither, as with a loss of moisture.
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YOUR TURN: “shrink”. Which part of this word’s history surprised you?
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PLAY LEXIFOUR: Try five more words. Play the free daily vocabulary game at lexifour.com. Follow for more word stories.