shrivel

verb

Etymology: First recorded as shriveled (“shrivelled”), probably of North Germanic origin related to dialectal Swedish skryvla (“to wrinkle, shrivel”); perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną (“to shrivel, shrink”) or *skrimpaną (“to shrink”).

1. To collapse inward; to crumble.

   “The plant shrivelled from lack of water.”

   “This Upside Down economy was the product, Hansen said, of a shriveling population, the closing of the frontier and the maturing of industries.”

2. To become wrinkled.

   “His fingers were shriveled from being in the bath for too long.”

3. To draw into wrinkles.

   “The hot sun shrivelled the leaves.”