greaten en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈɡɹeɪtən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English gretnen (“to become great, be pregnant”), equivalent to great + -en.
Meanings
- (intransitive) To become great or large; increase; dilate.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To become great with child; become pregnant.
-
(transitive) To make great; magnify; enlarge; increase.
No blushes! all my body's blood / Has gone to greaten this poor heart, / That, loving, we may part.
1860, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Parting Lovers:one studies how how to please his prince, the other how to greaten and secure him.
1685, Thomas Ken, sermon preached […] at Whitehall:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| greatening | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| greatens | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| greatened | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| greatened | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Relateds
Translations (1)
la grandēscō (to become great (especially in size))