different between dwindle vs deplete

English

Etymology

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dw?nan (“to waste away”), equivalent to dwine +? -le, akin to Old Norse dvena/dvína (Danish tvine (“to pine away”), Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?dw?n.d?l/
• Rhymes: -?nd?l

Verb

dwindle (third-person singular simple present dwindles, present participle dwindling, simple past and past participle dwindled)

1. (intransitive) To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
   • 1802, T. Paynell (translator), Erasmus, The Complaint of Peace

     [E]very thing that was improving gradually degenerates and dwindles away to nothing, […]

2. (intransitive, figuratively) To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
   • 1766, Oliver Goldsmith, Vicar, III

     The flattery of his friends began to dwindle into simple approbation.

   • 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress

     The larger the empire, the more dwindles the mind of the citizen.
3. (transitive) To lessen; to bring low.

   • Our drooping days are dwindled down to nought.

4. To break up or disperse.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• windled

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin d?pl?tus (“empty”), from deple?.

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) IPA^(key): /d??pli?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Verb

deplete (third-person singular simple present depletes, present participle depleting, simple past and past participle depleted)

1. To empty or unload, as the vessels of the human system, by bloodletting or by medicine.

2. To reduce by destroying or consuming the vital powers of; to exhaust, as a country of its strength or resources, a treasury of money, etc.

Antonyms

• replenish

Related terms

• depletion
• complete
• replete

Translations

Italian

Adjective

deplete

1. feminine plural of depleto

Latin

Verb

d?pl?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of d?ple?