shrink
UK[ʃrɪŋk]US[ʃrɪŋk]
v
To become or make something smaller in size, amount, or value.
v
To move back or away from something because of fear, disgust, etc.
n
(informal) A psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
Etymology
The verb 'shrink' originates from the Old English 'scrincan', meaning to wither, shrivel, or contract. This Old English term is of Germanic origin, related to the Middle Dutch 'schrinken' and the Swedish 'skrynka' (to wrinkle). The core semantic thread from its ancient roots to modern usage is the concept of drawing back, contracting, or becoming smaller, whether physically, as in fabric shrinking, or metaphorically, as in recoiling in fear or a market contracting in value. The informal noun sense for a psychiatrist is a shortening of the slang term 'head-shrinker', a humorous reference to tribal practices and the perceived role of therapists in 'shrinking' problems or egos.
Analysis
The word is a simplex form derived from a single Old English root. It is not productively segmentable into distinct, meaningful morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The wool sweater will shrink if you wash it in hot water.
He shrank back from the edge of the cliff in terror.
She decided to talk to a shrink about her anxiety.