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Ebb

//ɛb// adj, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    low, shallow

    "All the sea lying betweene, is verie ebbe, full of shallowes and shelves"

Noun
  1. 1
    The receding movement of the tide.

    "The boats will go out on the ebb."

  2. 2
    the outward flow of the tide wordnet
  3. 3
    A gradual decline.

    "Thus all the treasure of our flowing years, / Our ebb of life for ever takes away."

  4. 4
    a gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number) wordnet
  5. 5
    A low state; a state of depression. especially

    "Painting was then at its lowest ebb."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    A European bunting, the corn bunting (Emberiza calandra, syns. Emberiza miliaria, Milaria calandra).
Verb
  1. 1
    to flow back or recede intransitive

    "The tides ebbed at noon."

  2. 2
    fall away or decline wordnet
  3. 3
    to fall away or decline intransitive

    "The dying man's strength ebbed away."

  4. 4
    hem in fish with stakes and nets so as to prevent them from going back into the sea with the ebb wordnet
  5. 5
    to fish with stakes and nets that serve to prevent the fish from getting back into the sea with the ebb intransitive
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    flow back or recede wordnet
  2. 7
    To cause to flow back. transitive

    "Parts of this town do not want a big influx of gay people and are trying to ebb it."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba (“ebb, tide”), from Proto-West Germanic *abbjā, from Proto-Germanic *abjô, *abjǭ, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“off, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *apó. See also West Frisian ebbe, Dutch eb, German Ebbe, Danish ebbe, Old Norse efja (“countercurrent”), Old English af. More at of, off.

Etymology 2

From Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba (“ebb, tide”), from Proto-West Germanic *abbjā, from Proto-Germanic *abjô, *abjǭ, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“off, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *apó. See also West Frisian ebbe, Dutch eb, German Ebbe, Danish ebbe, Old Norse efja (“countercurrent”), Old English af. More at of, off.

Etymology 3

From Middle English ebben, from Old English ebbian, from Proto-West Germanic *abbjōn (“to ebb”).

See also for "ebb"

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