Fullen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Thickens and cleanses woven wool cloth by beating or pressing it so the fibres tighten and felt together
2. Treats newly woven cloth by beating it in water until it shrinks, thickens and becomes firmer
3. Works rough woven fabric by pounding it with moisture so that its threads mat together into denser material

Etymology: "Fullen" is a verb formed from the adjective "full" and the verbal suffix "-en", which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make something (become) that adjective". The suffix has a long ancestry, passing through Proto-Germanic forms and Old English "-nian" before surfacing in Middle English as "-en" and "-nen", so the ending was already a working verb-maker centuries before "fullen" appeared. The word itself is simple: "full" plus "-en" gives "to make full", as in filling or thickening something, and the same pattern gives English verbs such as "widen", "harden" and "sadden". Because the base is so basic, the verb is transparent in a way many older words are not, and its meaning follows directly from its parts.