[col.lapse] vb col.lapsed ; col.laps.ing [L collapsus, pp. of collabi, fr. com- + labi to fall, slide--more at sleep] vi (1732) 1: to fall or shrink together abruptly and completely: fall into a jumbled or flattened mass through the force of external pressure "a blood vessel that collapsed"
2: to break down completely: disintegrate "his case had collapsed in a mass of legal wreckage --Erle Stanley Gardner"
3: to cave or fall in or give way
4: to suddenly lose force, significance, effectiveness, or worth
5: to break down in vital energy, stamina, or self-control through exhaustion or disease; esp: to fall helpless or unconscious
6: to fold down into a more compact shape "a chair that ~s" ~ vt: to cause to collapse -- col.laps.ibil.i.ty n -- col.laps.ible adj
[2]collapse n (1801) 1 a: a breakdown in vital energy, strength, or stamina b: a state of extreme prostration and physical depression (as from circulatory failure or great loss of body fluids) c: an airless state of all or part of a lung originating spontaneously or induced surgically
2: the act or action of collapsing "the cutting of many tent ropes, the ~ of the canvas --Rudyard Kipling"
3: a sudden failure: breakdown, ruin
4: a sudden loss of force, value, or effect "the ~ of respect for ancient law and custom --L. S. B. Leakey"