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shake·down

(shākdoun′)

1. Slang Extortion of money, as by blackmail.

2. Slang A thorough search of a place or person.

3. A test or period of appraisal followed by adjustments to improve efficiency or functioning.

adj.

Serving as a test of a new product or model, especially of a vehicle, ship, or aircraft: a shakedown cruise; a shakedown flight.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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