different between strengthen vs extend

English

Etymology

From rare Middle English strengthenen (14th c.), from earlier strengthen (12th c.), where -en is the infinitive ending. Probably the original form was reinterpreted as strength +? -en around the time when the infinitive ending was being apocopated in late Middle English.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?st???(k)??n/, /?st??n??n/

Verb

strengthen (third-person singular simple present strengthens, present participle strengthening, simple past and past participle strengthened)

1. (transitive) To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify.
   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2

     Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, […]
     With powerful policy strengthen themselves.

   • 1851, Anonymous, Arthur Hamilton, and His Dog

     A little hardship, and a little struggling with the rougher elements of life, will perchance but strengthen and increase his courage, and prepare him for the conflicts and struggles of after years.

2. (transitive) To empower; to give moral strength to; to encourage; to enhearten.
   • 1769, The King James Bible, Deuteronomy iii. 28

     Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him.

   • "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there. […]."

3. (transitive) To augment; to improve; to intensify.
4. (transitive) To reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something)

5. (transitive) To substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)

6. (intransitive) To grow strong or stronger.

Synonyms

• (to make strong or stronger): See also Thesaurus:strengthen
• (to augment): See also Thesaurus:augment

Antonyms

• weaken
• atrophy

Derived terms

• strengthener

Translations

References

• strengthen in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• strenkþen, strengþen, strengþe, strengþi, strengthe, strenght, strenthe, streynght, streynthyn, streyngthe
• (early) strengðden, strengþin, strencþen

Etymology

From strengthe +? -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?str?nk??n/, /?str?n?ð?n/
• (dialectal) IPA^(key): /?str?n??n/, /?str?i?n??n/

Verb

strengthen

1. to strengthen, fortify (increase the strength of)
   • 1395, John Wycliffe, Bible, Job IV:

     Lo! thou hast tau?t ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.

2. to empower, to augment (increase the potency or severity of)
3. to enhearten, to encourage (increase the morale of)
4. to assist, to support (someone or something)
5. to substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)
6. to approve or validate (a document).
7. to endeavour; to rouse oneself.

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

Conjugation

Descendants

• English: strength

References

• “strengthen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

English

Etymology

From Middle English extenden, from Anglo-Norman extendre, estendre, from Latin extend? (“I stretch out”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?st?nd/
• Rhymes: -?nd
• Hyphenation: ex?tend

Verb

extend (third-person singular simple present extends, present participle extending, simple past and past participle extended)

1. (intransitive) To increase in extent.
2. (intransitive) To possess a certain extent; to cover an amount of space.

   The desert extended for miles in all directions.

3. (transitive) To cause to increase in extent.
4. (transitive) To cause to last for a longer period of time.
5. (transitive) To straighten (a limb).
6. (transitive) To bestow; to offer; to impart; to apply.

   to extend sympathy to the suffering

   to extend credit to a valued customer

7. To increase in quantity by weakening or adulterating additions.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of G. P. Burnham to this entry?)

   • 1897, Alonzo Lewis, James Robinson Newhall, History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts (page 155)

     […] the exalted morality of those virtuous brethren in the trade who, with consciences as weak as their own "extended" liquors, sought to convince him that to reduce the drink was a mercy to the poor deluded toper.

8. (Britain, law) To value, as lands taken by a writ of extent in satisfaction of a debt; to assign by writ of extent.
9. (object-oriented programming) Of a class: to be an extension or subtype of, or to be based on, a prototype or a more abstract class.

   Synonym: inherit

10. (intransitive, US, military) To reenlist for a further period.
    • 1993, The Leatherneck (volume 76, page xxxvi)

      Two years later, back to amtracs, this time at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, and I liked it so much I extended.

Synonyms

• enlarge
• expand
• increase
• lengthen
• stretch
• widen

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• dentex