Abklingung

Abklingung is a German nominalization referring to the process by which a phenomenon, signal, or condition gradually diminishes in intensity, frequency, or magnitude after a peak or during relaxation. It describes the subsidence or fading of effects rather than their onset. The term is often used in formal or technical contexts, while more everyday language typically favors the verb abklingen or phrases such as das Nachlassen or die Abschwächung.

In medicine, the concept describes the subsidence of symptoms or fever as an illness runs its course or after treatment takes effect. In meteorology and environmental science, abklingen can refer to the fading of weather events, such as the waning of a storm or the decrease in pollutant concentration after a peak. In physics, engineering and signal analysis, Abklingung characterizes the relaxation or damping of oscillations and signals, where the amplitude decreases over time; this is closely related to terms like Dämpfung and Abklingzeit (decay or time constant).

Etymologically, the word derives from ab- (away) and klingen, with the sense of something gradually quieting or subsiding. Because Abklingung is a noun form, it is often found in descriptive or technical prose, whereas verbs or other nouns (Abklingen, Nachlass, Abschwächung) may be more common in everyday language. Related concepts include attenuation, decay, and dissipation, which describe similar gradual reductions in different domains.