Question of the Day #283

"NAOMI Osaka’s US Open breakdown wasn’t about what Serena Williams stole from her. It was about what she took herself."
From the subtitle of this article at news.com.au.

上記の文で、breakdown の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "breakdown" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると一番良さそうな訳は、


〔心身の〕衰弱、〔健康状態の〕破綻

だと思いますが、そこまでひどい状態ではないと思うので、「泣き崩れた」「泣きだした」ぐらいでいいのではないでしょうか。

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

A sudden collapse in someone's mental health.

Other dictionaries have similar definitions, but I think that's a little too strong in this case.

Etymology/語源

Dictionary. comによると、

初めて記録されたのが、1825-35年ごろ。動詞句break downの名詞形。

According to Dictionary. com:

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase break down

Examples

• Did giving her the attention in the first place contribute to the breakdown?
• ‘Heather had a breakdown following the death of her sister’
• He suffered a breakdown after his wife died.
• Obviously we were under a lot of stress. And I basically had a breakdown.
• They often seem depressed and close to emotional breakdown.