Brightening

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of increasing light or luminosity in something ; an action that enhances appearance or lifts mood
2. Causing something to emit more light or look more illuminated ; a change that makes something appear better or makes someone feel happier
3. Enhancing the brightness or lightness of an object or environment ; improving quality, outlook or cheerfulness

Etymology: Brighten descends from Old English "beorht", meaning bright, shining or clear, which is traceable to a Proto-Germanic root "berhtaz". The surprise is in the suffix. The "-en" in "brighten" is an inchoative ending, one that turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to become" that adjective. Old English formed verbs this way with "-nian", and the form "berhtnian" meant "to make or become bright." Over time the Northern dialects of Middle English reshaped it into "brightin," and the modern form emerged from there. So the verb began as a simple, practical act of becoming bright, and the meaning has stayed close to that original sense. Spoken, the word has always been about light increasing, whether in a face, a room, or the sky. The verb "brightening" is what you get when you add the familiar "-ing" to that root, so the whole history is an adjective, a suffix and a dialect shift stacked together.

Synonyms: lighting, illuminating, enlightening, cheering, livening

Antonyms: darkening, dimming, glooming, saddening, dulling