First published 1921; not yet revised More entries for "wane"
waneverb
Factsheet
What does the verb wane mean?
There are 14 meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb wane, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the verb wane?
About 3occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.54 |
| 1760 | 0.53 |
| 1770 | 0.61 |
| 1780 | 0.72 |
| 1790 | 0.85 |
| 1800 | 0.93 |
| 1810 | 0.98 |
| 1820 | 1.2 |
| 1830 | 1.4 |
| 1840 | 1.7 |
| 1850 | 2.0 |
| 1860 | 2.2 |
| 1870 | 2.5 |
| 1880 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 3.0 |
| 1900 | 3.2 |
| 1910 | 3.3 |
| 1920 | 3.4 |
| 1930 | 3.3 |
| 1940 | 3.1 |
| 1950 | 2.9 |
| 1960 | 2.9 |
| 1970 | 2.9 |
| 1980 | 2.9 |
| 1990 | 3.0 |
| 2000 | 3.1 |
| 2010 | 3.1 |
How is the verb wane pronounced?
British English
/weɪn/
wayn
U.S. English
/weɪn/
wayn
Where does the verb wane come from?
Earliest known use
Old English
The earliest known use of the verb wane is in the Old English period (pre-1150).
wane is a word inherited from Germanic.
Nearby entries
- wandreth, n.c1175–1680
- wands, n.a1500–
- wandsman, n.1865–
- wandsomely, adv.?a1400
- wand-weaver, n.1896–
- wandy, adj.1611–
- wane, n.¹Old English–
- wane, n.²a1225–1650
- wane, n.³a1200–1387
- wane, adj.Old English–1825
- wane, v.Old English–
- wanease, n.a1600
- wane-cloud, n.1823–
- waned, adj.a1616–
- waneise, v.1776
- waneless, adj.a1618
- waney, adj.1658–
- wanfortune, n.a1500–1711
- wang, n.¹Old English–
- wang | weng, n.²1808–
- wanga, n.1851–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for wane, v.
wane, v. was first published in 1921; not yet revised.
wane, v. was last modified in December 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into wane, v. in December 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1921)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for wane, v.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- wandreth, n.c1175–1680
- wands, n.a1500–
- wandsman, n.1865–
- wandsomely, adv.?a1400
- wand-weaver, n.1896–
- wandy, adj.1611–
- wane, n.¹Old English–
- wane, n.²a1225–1650
- wane, n.³a1200–1387
- wane, adj.Old English–1825
- wane, v.Old English–
- wanease, n.a1600
- wane-cloud, n.1823–
- waned, adj.a1616–
- waneise, v.1776
- waneless, adj.a1618
- waney, adj.1658–
- wanfortune, n.a1500–1711
- wang, n.¹Old English–
- wang | weng, n.²1808–
- wanga, n.1851–
