[-ING1.]

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  1.  The action of the verb CRUMBLE.

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a. 1656.  Vines, Lord’s Supp. (1677), 292. I naturally abhor the crumbling of Scripture into crumbs.

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1810.  Southey, Kehama, II. xv. He heard the crumbling of the pile.

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  2.  concr. (pl.) Crumbled particles, débris.

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1660.  Burney, Κέρδ. Δῶρον (1661), 96. That Royal David … gathers up the crumblings of it.

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1865.  Swinburne, Atalanta, 2231. As light dust and crumblings from mine urn.

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