Coarsens

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Becomes rougher or less smooth in texture or quality
2. Takes on a rougher or more crude characteristic
3. Changes to a state that is less fine, polished, or delicate

Etymology: "Coarsens" is the third-person singular form of "coarsen," which means to make or become rough, crude, or less refined. The verb is built simply from "coarse" plus the suffix "-en," an ending that English has long used to turn adjectives into verbs meaning "to make or become" that quality, as in "widen," "harden," and "sharpen." The suffix itself has deep roots. It traces back through Old English "-nian" and Middle English "-en" to a Germanic ending that appears in many of the language's verbs, so "coarsen" inherits its verb-making machinery from the same ancient pattern that produced those more familiar words. The base word "coarse" is what carries the sense of roughness, and the suffix adds the idea of the change itself. Because the formation is so transparent, the word's history is mostly a matter of its parts. Its meaning follows the adjective closely: a surface can coarsen, a texture can coarsen, and figuratively a person's manners or language can coarsen as they lose polish.

Synonyms: roughens, grates

Antonyms: smooths, polishes