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Strengthen

//ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify. transitive

    "strengthen a muscle"

  2. 2
    give a healthy elasticity to wordnet
  3. 3
    To empower; to give moral strength to; to encourage; to enhearten. transitive

    "Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him."

  4. 4
    gain strength wordnet
  5. 5
    To augment; to improve; to intensify. transitive
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    make strong or stronger wordnet
  2. 7
    To reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something) transitive

    "strengthen an army"

  3. 8
    To substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.) transitive

    "strengthen the cause"

  4. 9
    To grow strong or stronger. intransitive

    "my affection seems so superfluous that I often wonder why it should be so strong. But wise or foolish, there it is, strengthening with the years whether I will or no"

Etymology

From rare Middle English strengthenen (14th c.), from earlier strengthen (12th c.), where -en is the infinitive ending. Probably the original form was reinterpreted as strength + -en around the time when the infinitive ending was being apocopated in late Middle English.

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