wane

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2016 is: wane • \WAYN\  • verb 1 : to decrease in size, extent, or degree 2 : to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence Examples: "Last year, the station offered fans the chance to buy the CD online for the first time and also sold it in Target stores as usual. But unlike previous years, the limited-run compilation didn't sell out immediately, suggesting its popularity may be waning." — Ross Raihala, The Pioneer Press (TwinCities.com), 14 Oct. 2016 "And as public and political interest in space exploration waxed and waned over the following decades, the funding for the space program did too." — Dianna Wray, The Houston Press, 26 Oct. 2016 Did you know? "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour / Draws on apace four happy days bring in / Another moon: But oh, methinks how slow / This old moon wanes!" So Theseus describes his eagerness for his wedding night in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. As illustrated by Theseus' words, wane is a word often called upon to describe the seeming decrease in size of the moon in the later phases of the lunar cycle. The traditional opposite of wane is wax, a once common but now infrequently used synonym of grow. Wane and wax have been partnered in reference to the moon since the Middle Ages. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.