ebb — ODE · Shobdo

ebb /ɛb

▸ (the ebb) noun the movement of the tide out to sea:

the tide was on the ebb

[as modifier] the ebb tide.

▸ verb [no object]

1 (of tidewater) move away from the land; recede. Compare with flow:

the tide began to ebb.

2 (of an emotion or quality) gradually decrease:

my enthusiasm was ebbing away.

– PHRASES

at a low ebb in a weakened or depressed state:

the country was at a low ebb due to the recent war.

ebb and flow /ˌɛb (ə)n(d) ˈfləʊ

/
a recurrent pattern of coming and going or decline and regrowth:

the ebb and flow of state politics and power.

– ORIGIN Old English ebba (noun), ebbian (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch ebbe (noun), ebben (verb), and ultimately to of which had the primary sense ‘away from’.