# weakening

Pronunciation: say "WEE-kuhn-ing" /ˈwikənɪŋ/

## Noun

1. A loss of strength, or the process by which something gradually becomes less strong.
   - Simple: A loss of strength, or the slow process of getting weaker.
   - _The currency's weakening against the dollar alarmed investors._
   - _A gradual weakening of public trust followed the scandal._
3. A structural principle of mathematical logic allowing the hypotheses of any derived statement to be freely extended with additional assumptions.
   - Simple: A rule in logic that lets you add extra assumptions to a fact you already proved.
   - _Weakening allows a derivation to carry premises it never actually invokes._
   - _In the sequent calculus, weakening adds a formula to one side without affecting validity._

## Verb

2. Present participle of weaken. — present participle and gerund of weaken
   - Simple: Present participle of weaken. Use this -ing form when something is becoming less strong right now.
   - _Economists warned that the recovery was weakening._
   - _The patient's pulse kept weakening through the night._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/weakening (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).