Drop

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /dɹɒp/

Definitions

1. To fall or let fall from a higher to a lower position, or to decrease in level or amount
2. To allow an object to fall to a lower position or to decrease in quantity or intensity while also terminating involvement with an activity or person
3. A small round or spherical quantity of liquid or other substance ; a brief fall from a higher place or level ; a sudden decrease in value or amount

Etymology: The noun and the verb "drop" look like they should be a pair, and they are, but the verb is the older of the two in English. Old English "droppian" meant to fall in drops or to drip, and it grew from a root that also gave German "triefen" and Icelandic "drjúpa", all meaning to drip. The noun came from the same stem, Old English "dropa", a single drip of liquid, so the sense of a small falling bead came first and the idea of letting something fall came out of it. Over the Middle English centuries the noun picked up many meanings. Its earlier senses ranged from a small quantity of liquid to a pendant jewel, a shower, and even a nasal discharge, which explains why it sounds so unlike the everyday "drop" of a dropped glass. The verb kept its watery roots while also gaining the sense of an object falling to the ground, and that wider meaning is what most people use today.

Synonyms: let fall, fall, descend, plummet, decline

Antonyms: raise, lift, increase