Lengthens

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Causes an object, process, or period to become greater in length or duration
2. Increases the extent or time span of something, extending it beyond its original limits
3. Adds length or prolongs the size or duration of a thing or event

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so the story belongs to its base verb, "lengthen," which is simply "length" with a verb-making ending attached. "Length" descends from the Old English "lengthu," built on the adjective "long," so the core idea is physical extension, something measured from end to end. The ending "-en" comes from Old English "-nian," a suffix that turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make or become" something. Through Middle English the "-en" form settled into its present shape, so "lengthen" is literally "to make long." The -s on "lengthens" is simply the third-person singular present marker, used when the subject is he, she, it, or a singular noun, as in "the shadows lengthen at dusk."

Synonyms: extends, prolongs

Antonyms: shortens, contracts