degringolade

D2E1G2R1I1N1G2O1L1A1D2E1
/deɪˌɡɹæŋ.ɡoʊˈlɑːd/

noun

A rapid decline or deterioration; a tumble.

OriginFrench dégringolade ← Middle French desgringueler ← Old French gringoller →
Scrabble 16
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundegringolade (plural degringolades)

plural degringolades · alternative dégringolade

  1. A rapid decline or deterioration; a tumble.

    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.

    1995, Peter Brooks, The melodramatic imagination, →ISBN, page 73

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
  4. Proto-Italic*dis-
  5. Latindis-
  6. Old Frenchdes-
  7. Middle Frenchdes-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*grenǵʰ-
  9. Proto-Germanic*kringaną
  10. Proto-Germanic*kringaz
  11. Old Dutch*kring
  12. Middle Dutchkring
  13. Middle Dutchcrinkelen
  14. Old Frenchgringoller
  15. Middle Frenchgringueler
  16. Middle Frenchdesgringueler
  17. Frenchdégringoler
  18. Frenchdégringolade
  19. Englishdegringolade

Borrowed from French dégringolade.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

degringolade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/degringolade

MLA

“degringolade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/degringolade. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “degringolade,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/degringolade.

Source: degringolade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.