breakdown
[ breyk-doun ]
/ ˈbreɪkˌdaʊn /
noun
a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss of ability to function efficiently, as of a machine.
a loss of mental or physical health; collapse.Compare nervous breakdown.
an analysis or classification of something; division into parts, categories, processes, etc.
Chemistry.
Electricity. an electric discharge passing through faulty insulation or other material used to separate circuits or passing between electrodes in a vacuum or gas-filled tube.
a noisy, lively folk dance.
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Nearby words
breakable, breakage, breakaway, breakbeat, breakbone fever, breakdown, breakdown van, breakdown voltage, breaker, breaker card, breaker strip
Origin of breakdown
First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase break down
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for breakdown
Word Origin and History for breakdown
breakdown
"a collapse," 1832, from break (v.) + down (adv.). The verbal phrase is attested from late 14c. The noun, specifically of machinery, is from 1838; meaning "an analysis in detail" is from 1936. Nervous breakdown is from 1905.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for breakdown
breakdown
[ brāk′doun′ ]
n.
The act or process of failing to function or continue.
A typically sudden collapse in physical or mental health.
Disintegration or decomposition into parts or elements.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.