v. i. [ imp. Shrank r Shrunk pos>p. p. Shrunk or Shrunken but the latter is now seldom used except as a participial adjective; p. pr. & vb. n. Shrinking. ] [ OE. shrinken, schrinken, AS. scrincan; akin to OD. schrincken, and probably to Sw. skrynka a wrinkle, skrynkla to wrinkle, to rumple, and E. shrimp, n. & v., scrimp. CF. Shrimp. ] 1. To wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted. [ 1913 Webster ]

And on a broken reed he still did stay
His feeble steps, which shrunk when hard thereon he lay. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Against this fire do I shrink up. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

And shrink like parchment in consuming fire. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

All the boards did shrink. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress. [ 1913 Webster ]

What happier natures shrink at with affright,
The hard inhabitant contends is right. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task. Jowett (Thucyd.) [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To draw back; to withdraw. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

To shrink on (Mach.), to fix (one piece or part) firmly around (another) by natural contraction in cooling, as a tire on a wheel, or a hoop upon a cannon, which is made slightly smaller than the part it is to fit, and expanded by heat till it can be slipped into place. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink,
That I had less to praise. Leigh Hunt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ Contraction of head-shrinker, a colloquial term for psychiatrist. ] a psychiatrist. [ Coll. ] [ PJC ]

n. 1. The act of shrinking; a contraction into less bulk or measurement. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The amount of such contraction; the bulk or dimension lost by shrinking, as of grain, castings, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Decrease in value; depreciation. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who shrinks; one who withdraws from danger. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Shrink. [ 1913 Webster ]

Shrinking head (Founding), a body of molten metal connected with a mold for the purpose of supplying metal to compensate for the shrinkage of the casting; -- called also sinking head, and riser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a shrinking manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

, n. same as shrink-wrap, n.. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. shrink-wrapped or shrink"wrapped p. pr. & vb. n. shrink"wrapping or shrink"-wrapping.] to wrap and seal (an object for sale) in a transparent sheet of plastic material that is shrunken to a tight-fitting wrapping by the application of heat. [PJC]

, n. a type of plastic film, usually transparent, that shrinks upon application of heat, and may be used to form a wrapping around objects that fits tightly and closely follows the contours of the wrapped object; -- also called shrink-pack, shrinkpack or shrink-wrapping. [ PJC ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]