different between grow vs magnify

English

Etymology

From Middle English growen, from Old English gr?wan (“to grow, increase, flourish, germinate”), from Proto-Germanic *gr?an? (“to grow, grow green”), from Proto-Indo-European *g?reh?- (“to grow, become green”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????/, [??????]
• (US) IPA^(key): /??o?/, [???o??]
• Rhymes: -??

Verb

grow (third-person singular simple present grows, present participle growing, simple past grew or (dialectal) growed, past participle grown or (dialectal) growed)

1. (ergative) To become larger, to increase in magnitude.

2. (ergative, of plants) To undergo growth; to be present (somewhere)

3. (intransitive) To appear or sprout.

4. (intransitive) To develop, to mature.

5. (transitive) To cause or allow something to become bigger, especially to cultivate plants.
   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:grow.

6. (copulative) To assume a condition or quality over time.
   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:grow.

7. (intransitive, obsolete) To become attached or fixed; to adhere.
   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:grow.

Antonyms

• shrink

Derived terms

Translations

References

• grow at OneLook Dictionary Search

Middle English

Verb

grow

1. Alternative form of growen

English

Alternative forms

• magnifie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French magnifier, from Latin magnific?re, from magnificus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ma?n?fa?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?mæ?n?fa?/

Verb

magnify (third-person singular simple present magnifies, present participle magnifying, simple past and past participle magnified)

1. (transitive) To praise, glorify (someone or something, especially God). [from 14th c.]
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts X:

     For they herde them speake with tonges, and magnify God.

   • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:

     For he who freely magnifies what hath been nobly done, and fears not to declare as freely what might be done better, gives ye the best cov'nant of his fidelity [...].

2. (transitive) To make (something) larger or more important. [from 14th c.]
3. (transitive) To make (someone or something) appear greater or more important than it is; to intensify, exaggerate. [from 17th c.]
4. (transitive) To make (something) appear larger by means of a lens, magnifying glass, telescope etc. [from 17th c.]
5. (intransitive, slang, obsolete) To have effect; to be of importance or significance.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spectator to this entry?)

Derived terms

• magnifier
• magnifying glass
• magnification

Related terms

• minify (opposite)

Translations