Definition of ebb

< Eban, Abba

ebb tide >

ebb    (b) KEY 

NOUN:

1. Ebb tide.
2. A period of decline or diminution: "Insistence upon rules of conduct marks the ebb of religious fervor" (Alfred North Whitehead).

intr.v.
ebbed, ebb·ing, ebbs

1. To fall back from the flood stage.
2. To fall away or back; decline or recede. See Synonyms at recede¹.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba; see apo- in Indo-European roots