collapse
Meaning
To fall down or in suddenly, often after breaking apart
To fail suddenly and completely
To fall down and become unconscious
A sudden failure or breakdown of something
Structure
Usage
The old bridge collapsed under the weight of the heavy truck.
The company's stock price collapsed after the scandal was revealed.
He collapsed from exhaustion after running the marathon.
Etymology
The word 'collapse' originates from the Latin verb collabi, meaning 'to fall together'. This verb is a compound of the prefix com- (together) and the verb labi (to fall, slip, glide). The core root labi can be traced further back to the Proto-Indo-European root leb-, meaning 'to hang down loosely' or 'to be weak', a concept that underlies the sense of giving way. The modern English word, borrowed in the 17th century, retains this literal sense of a structure falling in on itself, while its metaphorical extensions to systems, health, or negotiations failing completely logically follow from the image of a sudden, total breakdown.
Analysis
- col-: A Latin prefix (variant of 'com-'), meaning 'together' or 'with'. It functions as an intensifier. - lapse: From Latin lapsus, meaning 'a fall, slipping, gliding'. It functions as the core root conveying the action of falling or slipping.