Augmentation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of increasing or enhancing something, which can involve the addition of components or an overall improvement in size or value
2. An increase in size, value, or number resulting from the addition of new elements or enhancements to an existing entity
3. The act of making something bigger or better by adding to it ; an improvement or increase achieved through the addition of new parts or features

Etymology: "Augmentation" comes from the Latin "augmentō," meaning "to increase," and the noun "augmentātiō" was formed from it as a verbal noun, naming the act or process of increasing. The verb itself grew from "augēre," "to increase," which is also the root behind "augment," a close cousin that English borrowed directly and that has sometimes been used interchangeably with this noun. English took the word through Old French, where it was "augmentacion," and it appeared in Middle English in forms such as "augmentacioun." Its earliest English sense was broad, covering any growing or enlarging, and it carried the idea of something being made greater than it was before. Over time the word narrowed in use. In modern English it most often describes enlargement by addition, as when a building is extended, a salary is raised, or a diet is supplemented, rather than growth from within.

Synonyms: increase, expansion, enhancement, amplification, extension

Antonyms: decrease, reduction, diminution, contraction, shrinking