peter

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   usually peter out: to diminish gradually in strength, quantity, or activity and finally stop

   The path petered out near the edge of the marsh.

2. 2
   verb

   historical mining, usually peter out: to become exhausted or yield no more ore

   The promising vein petered out only a few metres below the surface.

The verb appeared in nineteenth-century American mining language for a vein of ore becoming exhausted and soon broadened to anything that gradually dwindles and stops. Its origin is uncertain; proposals connect it with saltpeter or with French peter, 'to explode,' but neither explanation is established.

Topics

External links

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