Starken

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make more forceful or intense ; to grow stronger or more robust ; to increase in effectiveness or ability
2. To enhance power or vigor ; to become sturdier or more resilient ; to boost strength or impact
3. To heighten energy or durability ; to intensify strength or firmness ; to reinforce and make more potent

Etymology: "Starken" is a straightforward formation: it combines "stark," meaning strong or rigid, with the verb-forming suffix "-en," the same ending found in "widen," "sharpen," and "lengthen." The Middle English form "starkenen" meant "to grow strong," so the verb was built on the adjective in the same way that many other English verbs describe becoming more of a quality. The adjective "stark" has a long pedigree of its own, descending from Old English "stearc," which carried the sense of stiff, firm, or unyielding. That underlying idea of rigidity sits behind the modern verb, which in its sense of making something stronger extends the notion of firmness into a process of reinforcement.

Synonyms: strengthen, fortify, reinforce, bolster, toughen

Antonyms: weaken, diminish, reduce, debilitate, lessen