different between strengthen vs harden
strengthen
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)
- (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.
- Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, […]
- 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.
- c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 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. […]."
- 1769, The King James Bible, Deuteronomy iii. 28
- (transitive) To augment; to improve; to intensify.
- (transitive) To reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something)
- (transitive) To substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)
- (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
- 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.
- 1395, John Wycliffe, Bible, Job IV:
- to empower, to augment (increase the potency or severity of)
- to enhearten, to encourage (increase the morale of)
- to assist, to support (someone or something)
- to substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)
- to approve or validate (a document).
- 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.
strengthen From the web:
- what strengthens nails
- what strengthens teeth
- what strengthens bones
- what strengthens your immune system
- what strengthens hair
- what strengthens your bones
- what strengthens the immune system
- what strengthened the feudal system
harden
English
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /?h??dn?/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?h??dn?/
- Rhymes: -??(?)d?n
- Hyphenation: hard?en
Etymology 1
From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard +? -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).
Verb
harden (third-person singular simple present hardens, present participle hardening, simple past and past participle hardened)
- (intransitive) To become hard (tough, resistant to pressure).
- (transitive, ergative) To make something hard or harder (tough, resistant to pressure).
- (transitive, figuratively) To strengthen.
- 2002, Jane's International Defense Review (volume 35)
- In view of the system's relatively low cost, the preferred alternative could be for the military user to avail himself of multiple base stations rather than seeking to harden the base station hardware for defense applications.
- 2002, Jane's International Defense Review (volume 35)
- (transitive, computing) To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
- (transitive, intransitive, dated) To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
- Synonym: inure
- KJV, Exodus 4:21
- When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
- (transitive, intransitive, phonology) To become or make (a consonant) more fortis.
Derived terms
- forharden
- hardened
- hardener
- hardening
- harden off
- harden someone's heart
- harden up
- overharden
Translations
Etymology 2
Noun
harden (countable and uncountable, plural hardens)
- Alternative form of hurden (“coarse linen”)
Anagrams
- Harned, Hendra, hander
Dutch
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -?rd?n
Verb
harden
- (transitive) To render hard(er), more resistant etc.; to temper metal; to steel nerves
- De geharde veteranen verbeten de pijn zonder jammeren.
- The hardened veterans bore the pain without whining.
- De geharde veteranen verbeten de pijn zonder jammeren.
- (transitive) to endure, bear, stand, tolerate
Inflection
Synonyms
- (to endure) uithouden, verdragen
Noun
harden
- Plural form of harde
harden From the web:
- what hardens stool
- what hardens your poop
- what hardens dog poop
- what hardens nails
- what hardens arteries
- what hardens slime
- what hardens your stool
- what hardens super glue
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