disappearingn.
/ˌdɪsəˈpɪərɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrɪŋ/ The action of disappear v.; vanishing; disappearance. Also: an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > [noun] > vanishing or disappearing
vanishingc1405
vading1570
disparition1597
disappearing1610
disparence1617
disappearance1625
discharge1626
evaporating1630
evanishing1633
vanish1650
disapparition1657
evanescency1664
evanescence1751
mizzle1789
evanitiona1797
evanishment1797
evaporation1824
occultation1825
vanishment1831
furling1836
disappearing trick1870
disappearing act1884
fade-away1911
fade-out1924
1610 A. Browne tr. St. Bonaventure Life Father S. Francis 78 The brethren in company with the holy man there vpon considering..the strangenesse of their salutation and meeting, as lastly of their vanishing & disappearing: did..iudg & discerne, that some misticall thing was thereby designed.
1662 S. Patrick Brief Acct. Latitude-men 20 The appearing of new Stars & disappearing of old.
1726 W. R. Chetwood Voy. & Adventures Capt. R. Boyle 285 All the Discourse was of Don Roderigo's sudden disappearing.
1752 Adventures of Valet II. v. viii. 189 Nothing could have added to the apparent Conviction more than my disappearing.
1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. II. 115 It is impossible..to account for the disappearing of the two gases, or the appearance of the water, without admitting that this liquid is actually composed of oxygen and hydrogen.
1846 S. Noble Important Doctr. vi. 94 When his disappearing is related, it is not said that he went away, but that he vanished out of their sight.
1929 L. W. Reese Victorian Village 217 His appearings and disappearings became country-wide.
1994 Human Rights Q. 16 196 The human rights community started piecing together what ‘disappearing’ meant: torture, ill-treatment and murder.
2005 S. J. Lavi Art of Dying ii. 67 All dying proceeded in a sequence of three stages, the first of which was the disappearing of senses.
Compounds
disappearing act n. an act of making a person or thing disappear as if by magic; an act of vanishing or disappearing in this manner; (now usually more generally) an act of leaving or vanishing suddenly or without explanation, esp. in to do a disappearing act and variants; cf. vanishing act n., vanishing trick n. at vanishing n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > [noun] > vanishing or disappearing
vanishingc1405
vading1570
disparition1597
disappearing1610
disparence1617
disappearance1625
discharge1626
evaporating1630
evanishing1633
vanish1650
disapparition1657
evanescency1664
evanescence1751
mizzle1789
evanitiona1797
evanishment1797
evaporation1824
occultation1825
vanishment1831
furling1836
disappearing trick1870
disappearing act1884
fade-away1911
fade-out1924
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (intransitive)] > vanish or disappear
formeltc893
wendOE
witea1000
aworthc1000
fleec1200
fleetc1200
withdraw1297
vanish1303
voidc1374
unkithea1400
startc1405
disappearc1425
disparishc1425
to fall awayc1443
evanish?a1475
vade1495
sinka1500
vade1530
fly1535
fadea1538
melt?1567
dispear1600
relinquish1601
foist1603
dispersea1616
to vanish (melt, etc.) into thin aira1616
dissipate1626
retire1647
evaporate1713
merge1802
illude1820
to foam off1826
dislimn1833
furl1844
to step out1844
evanesce1855
shade1880
wisp1883
to go to the winds1884
walk1898
to do a disappearing act1913
to go west1916
to do (or take) a fade1949
to phase out1970
1884 Wellsville (N.Y.) Daily Reporter 17 Jan. 1/5 He failed to acquire all the modern accomplishments, and never performed the great embezzling or disappearing act, for instance, but still he was counted a good cashier.
1896 Era 22 Feb. 22/4 The Borani Brothers obtain much applause for their contortionist and disappearing acts.
1913 E. D. Biggers Seven Keys to Baldpate x. 193 ‘Got the news, Magee?’ asked the haberdasher. ‘Peters has done a disappearing act.’
1943 Economist 12 June 755/1 Dr. Goebbels..has recently emerged into new prominence as official public substitute during Hitler's prolonged disappearing act.
2016 Cape Argus (Nexis) 16 May 19 He cons her out of millions and pulls a disappearing act.
disappearing trick n. = disappearing act n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > [noun] > vanishing or disappearing
vanishingc1405
vading1570
disparition1597
disappearing1610
disparence1617
disappearance1625
discharge1626
evaporating1630
evanishing1633
vanish1650
disapparition1657
evanescency1664
evanescence1751
mizzle1789
evanitiona1797
evanishment1797
evaporation1824
occultation1825
vanishment1831
furling1836
disappearing trick1870
disappearing act1884
fade-away1911
fade-out1924
1870 College Courant 22 Oct. 247/2 Several of its members proved themselves expert gymnasts as well as jugglers in practising the ‘disappearing trick’.
1896 Glasgow Herald 9 Mar. 9/4 Satanita did the disappearing trick with the mark boat, and only Ailsa was left.
1934 R. A. Knox Still Dead xxii. 266 I think we are now going to hear how it was that the unfortunate young man's body came to do the disappearing trick.
1983 Financial Times 8 Jan. 9/1 A year which started with the Laker empire going into a tailspin and ended with the Magic Bus doing a disappearing trick.
2013 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 26 June (Features section) 12 Charlie the cockatoo does a great disappearing trick with coins from audience members.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
disappearingadj.
/ˌdɪsəˈpɪərɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrɪŋ/ 1. That disappears, or is in the process of disappearing, from sight or existence; vanishing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > [adjective] > vanishing or disappearing
vanishing1434
formelting1606
disparent1617
evanishing1629
disappearing1646
deliquescent1815
relinquent1884
1646 H. More Cupids Conflict 12 in Democritus Platonissans In lonesome desert thou dost wander wide To seek and serve thy disappearing Pan, Whom no man living in the world hath eyde.
1680 J. Butler Ἀστρολογία i. 22 in Ἁγιαστρολογία It is the very business of Logick, out of known, and most plain, to gather up intelligence of more obscure and disappearing things.
1773 J. Richardson tr. C. M. Wieland Hist. Agathon IV. x. v. 147 The sighs, the wishes, he sent forth after these beloved disappearing shadows.
1886 Daily News 9 Nov. 2/7 The defendant..performed the trick with his daughter as the disappearing lady.
1976 Science 16 July 198/1 The problem of disappearing species has hitherto been tackled mainly from the standpoints of biology and ecology.
2006 J. Springer Genocide vi. 76 The Universal Declaration and the Genocide Convention may as well have been ghost documents written in disappearing ink.
2. Military. Of a piece of artillery, etc.: designed to be withdrawn or to move automatically out of sight of the enemy after firing, usually by retracting into a pit or behind a parapet; of or relating to artillery of this type. Now historical.
ΚΠ
1872 Irish Times 27 Nov. 5/3 The author of what may be called ‘the disappearing gun’ hails from the Auxiliary Forces.
1887 Fortn. Rev. Nov. 629 We are behindhand..in disappearing guns, in cupolas and shields, and in submarine mining.
1891 N.Y. Times 28 Mar. 4/2 A couple of eight-inch rifles mounted on disappearing carriages.
1948 Washington Post 31 Dec. 2 b/7 Admiral Strauss is..credited with..designing the first disappearing mount for deck guns of submarines.
2004 Conservation Action (N.Z. Dept. of Conservation) July 59/2 Two eight inch and two six inch Armstrong hydro-pneumatic disappearing guns were installed in 1889. These were raised above the ground to fire. When they recoiled, they disappeared back below ground.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1610adj.1646