Amplifying

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Making a sound or signal louder or stronger to enhance its volume or reach ; increasing the intensity or effect of something to make it more significant or powerful
2. Enhancing audio or signal strength to produce a louder or clearer output ; boosting the impact or influence of an element to heighten its presence or effect
3. Raising the level of sound or signals to cause greater audibility or strength ; expanding the magnitude or effect of an action or condition to intensify its result

Etymology: The verb "amplify" descends from Latin "amplificare," built from "amplus," meaning "abundant" or "ample," and "-ficare," a combining element from "facere," "to make." So the core idea is making something larger or fuller. The Latin verb reached English by way of Old French "amplifier," and the English form appeared in Middle English as "amplifiyen." Its earliest sense was literal enlargement: making a thing bigger or spreading out a subject in speech or writing. The word's sense of boosting sound came much later. Electrical and acoustic amplification, where a device raises the strength of a signal, is a modern development, and it is that technical use which now dominates the verb. Its older sense of expanding an effect or magnitude still survives in ordinary speech, so the word has moved from literal size toward strength of sound and influence. The English word is often assumed to be "ample" plus "-ify," and that is how it looks on the surface. Its actual route runs through Latin and French rather than from the English adjective.

Synonyms: increasing, enhancing, magnifying, boosting, extending

Antonyms: reducing, diminishing, decreasing, lessening, shrinking