Ramping

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Increasing quickly or excessively in extent or intensity ; moving or accelerating abruptly and forcefully
2. Growing or rising at a fast and often uncontrolled rate ; proceeding with a sudden burst of speed or vigor
3. Expanding or intensifying rapidly beyond normal levels ; advancing with a sharp and energetic motion

Etymology: The verb "ramping" in its sense of rising or surging very rapidly comes from a physical picture of bodies rising up. Its root is the noun "ramp," which passed into English from French "rampe," a slope or flight of steps, itself formed from the French verb "ramper," meaning to crawl or climb. That verb traces back to a Frankish word meaning to contract, wrinkle or curl up, and further back to a Germanic root meaning to shrivel or shrink. The idea of a body drawing itself up and scrambling higher is what the modern sense inherits. The word also has a near-twin in English. "Romp" is a doublet of "ramp," meaning the two words descend from the same ancestor but arrived by different routes and took different shapes and senses. Where "ramp" kept the notion of climbing and rising, "romp" moved toward boisterous play.

Synonyms: increasing, escalating

Antonyms: decreasing, diminishing