Enlargening

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Making something bigger in size, scope or extent, as when a space or opening is widened or expanded
2. Causing an object, area or range to grow larger than it was before, through added material or stretching
3. Increasing the dimensions or reach of something so that it occupies more room or covers a wider scope

Etymology: "Enlargening" is the present participle and gerund of "enlargen", a verb that came into English from Middle English. Its base lies in "large", which reached English from Old French "large" (broad, generous), itself from Latin "largus" (abundant, copious). The en- prefix, meaning "make" or "put into a state of", turns the adjective into a verb meaning to make something larger. The verb "enlarge" is the older and more common form, and "enlargen" is a variant that has survived mostly in the sense of growing or making bigger in physical terms. The -ing ending simply marks the action in progress, so the word describes the process of making something grow.

Synonyms: expanding, widening, magnifying, extending, amplifying

Antonyms: shrinking, reducing, contracting, diminishing