Lacnian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. An Old English verb meaning to grow less, lessen, or diminish in amount or strength over time
2. A word from early English describing the act of becoming smaller, weaker, or reduced in degree
3. An archaic Old English term for decreasing or abating, as when something falls off or lessens

Etymology: Old English "lācnian" meant "to heal" or "to treat medically," and it was built from "lāc," a noun meaning "gift," "offering," or "sacrifice." That same root also gave Old English "lācan," "to leap" or "to play," which is related to Old Norse "leika," the source of modern "play" in the sense of games. So a word for curing a sick person shares its ancestry with words for sport and ritual offerings. The exact path from offering to remedy is uncertain, since the surviving texts don't spell it out. Medical treatment was the everyday job of "lāce," a separate word meaning "physician," which became modern "leech." Verbs for healing were more often built from "hāl," "whole," which became "heal." "Lācnian" survived into Middle English as "lechen" and then faded from standard use, leaving behind only a few regional traces.