[ebb] n [ME ebbe, fr. OE ebba; akin to MD ebbe ebb, OE of from--more at of] (bef. 12c) 1: the reflux of the tide toward the sea
2: a point or condition of decline "our spirits were at a low ~"
[2]ebb vi (bef. 12c) 1: to recede from the flood
2: to fall from a higher to a lower level or from a better to a worse state syn see abate