Ruggedise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Strengthens equipment or a device so that it can withstand rough handling, extreme weather, or other demanding conditions
2. Makes an object tougher and more durable by reinforcing its construction for use in harsh environments
3. Reinforces a product's build and materials so that it can endure heavy use, impact, or hostile surroundings

Etymology: "Ruggedise" is a plain formation: the adjective "rugged" with the verb-forming suffix "-ise" added to the end. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the word it sits on. It descends from Ancient Greek verbs ending in "-izein", which passed through Late Latin "-izare" and Middle French "-iser" before arriving in Middle English as "-isen". English then used it freely to turn adjectives and nouns into verbs meaning to make something into that quality, so "ruggedise" means to make something rugged. The base word "rugged" is itself older, an English adjective built on a root that once meant something shaggy or coarse, which is why the sense of "rough, uneven, or hardy" travelled so easily into the verb. The suffix, not the base, carries most of the history here: it is one of the English language's most productive tools for making new verbs from existing words.

Synonyms: ruggedize, harden, toughen, strengthen, reinforce

Antonyms: weaken, soften, enfeeble