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down·shift (dounshĭft′)
Share:
v. down·shift·ed, down·shift·ing, down·shifts
v.intr.
1. To shift a motor vehicle into a lower gear.
2. To reduce the speed, rate, or intensity of something.
3. To simplify or reduce one's expectations or commitments, especially in work hours: "28 percent said that they had downshifted and voluntarily cut back on their income in some way ... to reflect changes in priorities" (Carey Goldberg).
v.tr.
1. To shift (a motor vehicle) into a lower gear.
2. To reduce in speed, rate, or intensity: "The president is downshifting his confrontational rhetoric and reaffirming his readiness to talk arms control" (Newsweek).
3. To simplify or reduce one's commitments in (one's life).
downshift′ n.
downshift′er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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