Sinkings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of descending below the surface of a liquid
2. experiences of gradual failure or collapse, especially in a metaphorical sense
3. instances where something goes down or is submerged completely in a body of water

Etymology: "Sinkings" is simply the plural of "sinking," which in turn is formed from "sink" and the suffix "-ing." The suffix has a long ancestry, traceable through Old English "-ung," Middle English "-ynge," and back to Proto-Germanic forms, but the ending itself has no meaning of its own beyond turning a verb into a noun of action or process. The base verb "sink" is the more interesting part of the story. It goes back to Old English "sincan," meaning to fall, drop, or descend, so the word was always about going downward, long before it described ships or hopes. The metaphorical sense of gradual failure grows naturally from that picture of something slipping steadily out of sight, and the plural form "sinkings" lets speakers talk about repeated or separate instances of such decline.

Synonyms: submergence, descent, plunge

Antonyms: ascent, rise