strengthen

English

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.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, /ˈstɹɛnθən/, /ˈʃt͡ʃɹeɪŋ(k)θən/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ɛŋkθən

Verb

strengthen (third-person singular simple present strengthens, present participle strengthening, simple past and past participle strengthened)

(transitive) To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify.
strengthen a muscle

strengthen a wall

strengthen one's willpower

strengthen one's authority
- c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
  Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, […]
  With powerful policy strengthen themselves.
- 1851, anonymous author, Arthur Hamilton, and His Dog‎^[1]:
  A little hardship, and a little struggling with the rougher elements of life, will perchance but strengthen and increase his courage, and prepare him for the conflicts and struggles of after years.
- 1952 July, W. R. Watson, “Sankey Viaduct and Embankment”, in Railway Magazine, page 487:
  The viaduct is joined to the embankment by retaining walls, which have been strengthened since they were constructed by the addition of stay bolts extending right through the embankment and fastened outside each retaining wall.
(transitive) To empower; to give moral strength to; to encourage; to enhearten.
- 1831, Nat Turner, The Confessions of Nat Turner:
  my father and mother strengthened me in this my first impression, saying in my presence, I was intended for some great purpose
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy iii:28:
  Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him.
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there. […]."
(transitive) To augment; to improve; to intensify.
(transitive) To reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something)
strengthen an army
(transitive) To substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)
strengthen the cause
(intransitive) To grow strong or stronger.
- 1914, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, Our Philadelphia:
  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

Synonyms

(to make strong or stronger): See also Thesaurus:strengthen
(to augment): See also Thesaurus:augment

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

to make strong or stronger

Afrikaans: versterk
Arabic: قَوَّى (qawwā), عَزَّزَ (ʕazzaza)
Aragonese: fortaleixer, fortalexer, enfortir
Armenian: զորացնել (hy) (zoracʻnel), ուժեղացնել (hy) (užeġacʻnel)
Bulgarian: усилвам (bg) (usilvam)
Catalan: enfortir (ca), reforçar (ca)
Cherokee: ᎠᏍᏓᏱᏗᎠ (asdayidia)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 加強 / 加强 (zh) (jiāqiáng)
Crimean Tatar: pekitmek
Czech: posílit (cs)
Dutch: versterken (nl)
Esperanto: plifortigi
Estonian: tugevdama (et)
Finnish: vahvistaa (fi)
French: renforcer (fr), affermir (fr), raffermir (fr), fortifier (fr)
Galician: fortalecer (gl)
Georgian: გაძლიერება (gaʒliereba), გამაგრება (gamagreba)
German: verstärken (de), stärken (de)
Greek: ενισχύω (el) (enischýo)
Ancient: ἰσχυρόω (iskhuróō), ῥώννυμι (rhṓnnumi)
Hebrew: לְחַזֵק (lekhazék)
Hindi: दृढ़ाना (dŕṛhānā)
Hungarian: megerősít (hu), erősít (hu)
Ido: fortigar (io)
Ingrian: vahvistaa, vahventaa, vahvenoittaa, vahvita, vahvissuttaa
Irish: neartaigh
Italian: rinforzare (it), rafforzare (it), corroborare (it) (rare)
Japanese: 強くする (ja) (つよくする, tsuyoku suru), 強める (ja) (つよめる, tsuyomeru)
Ladino: enfuerteser, enforteser, enreziar, arreziar
Latin: rōborō, corrōborō, firmō
Latvian: stiprināt
Lü: ᦶᦏᧄᦶᦃᧂᦶᦣᧂ (ṫhaemẋaenghaeng)
Maori: whakakaha, whakamarohi
Middle English: strengthen
Polish: wzmacniać (pl) impf, wzmocnić (pl) pf, pokrzepiać impf (rare)
Portuguese: fortalecer (pt), reforçar (pt)
Romanian: întări (ro)
Russian: уси́ливать (ru) impf (usílivatʹ), уси́лить (ru) pf (usílitʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: оја̀чати

Roman: ojàčati (sh)
Spanish: fortalecer (es), fortificar (es), reforzar (es)
Swedish: förstärka (sv), stärka (sv)
Tagalog: lakasan
Turkish: güçlendirmek (tr), kuvvetlendirmek (tr)

to animate

Dutch: bezielen (nl), tot leven wekken, versterken (nl)
Finnish: vahvistaa (fi), innostaa (fi)
French: fortifier (fr)
German: bestärken (de), stärken (de)
Italian: animare (it)
Latin: animo
Middle English: strengthen
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: potàknuti (sh), osokòliti (sh)
Spanish: animar (es)
Swahili: kuimarisha (sw)
Turkish: yüreklendirmek (tr)

to augment

Bulgarian: засилвам (bg) (zasilvam)
Dutch: kracht geven
Finnish: vahvistaa (fi), voimistaa (fi)
German: verstärken (de)
Italian: intensificare (it), aumentare (it)
Latin: augeo (la)
Maori: whakamarohi
Middle English: strengthen
Turkish: pekiştirmek (tr)

to grow strong or stronger

Armenian: ամրանալ (hy) (amranal)
Bulgarian: усилвам се (usilvam se)
Finnish: vahvistua (fi), voimistua (fi)
German: stärker werden
Hungarian: megerősödik (hu), erősödik (hu)
Ingrian: ramoittua, voimistua, vahveta, vahvistua
Italian: rinforzarsi, rafforzarsi (it)
Latin: firmor
Polish: wzmacniać się (pl) impf, wzmocnić się (pl) pf, stawać się mocniejszym, stawać się coraz silniejszym
Romanian: deveni mai puternic
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: оја̀чати

Roman: ojàčati (sh)
Turkish: güçlenmek (tr), kuvvetlenmek (tr)

References

“strengthen”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Middle English

Alternative forms

strenkþen, strengþen, strengþe, strengþi, strengthe, strenght, strenthe, streynght, streynthyn, streyngthe
(early) strengðden, strengþin, strencþen

Etymology

From strengthe +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈstrɛnkθən/, /ˈstrɛnɡðən/
(dialectal) IPA^(key): /ˈstrɛnθən/, /ˈstrɛi̯nθən/

Verb

strengthen

to strengthen, fortify (increase the strength of)
- 1395, John Wycliffe, Bible, Job IV:
  Lo! thou hast tauȝt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
to empower, to augment (increase the potency or severity of)
to enhearten, to encourage (increase the morale of)
to assist, to support (someone or something)
to substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)
to approve or validate (a document).
to endeavour; to rouse oneself.
(Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

Conjugation

Conjugation of strengthen (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) strengthen, strengthe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	strengthe	strengthed
2nd-person singular	strengthest	strengthedest
3rd-person singular	strengtheth	strengthed
subjunctive singular	strengthe	strengthed
imperative singular	strengthe	—

plural¹	strengthen, strengthe	strengtheden, strengthede
imperative plural	strengtheth, strengthe	—

participles	strengthynge, strengthende	strengthed, ystrengthed

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

English: strength

References

“strengthen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.