Meanings
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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.
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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.
Thesaurus
Etymology
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.