degringolade

Alternative forms

• dégringolade

Etymology

Borrowed from French dégringolade, from dégringoler (“to tumble down”), from Middle French desgringueler (comprising des- (“from”) + gringueler (“to tumble”)), from Middle Dutch crinkelen (“to make curl”), crinc or cring (“ring, circle”) (related to English crinkle and crank).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /deɪˌɡɹæŋ.ɡoʊˈlɑːd/

Noun

degringolade (plural degringolades)

1. A rapid decline or deterioration; a tumble.
   • 1995, Peter Brooks, The melodramatic imagination‎, →ISBN, page 73:

     The dégringolade of Kitty Bell is forever linked to the name of Marie Dorval, the actress (and Vigny's mistress) for whom the play was written.