different between strengthen vs raise

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: r?z, IPA^(key): /?e?z/
• Homophones: rase, rays, raze, rehs, réis, res
• Rhymes: -e?z

Etymology 1

From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijan?, *raizijan? (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *r?san? (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?rey- (“to rise, arise”). Cognate with Old English r?sian (“to explore, examine, research”), Old English r?san (“to seize, carry off”), Old English r?ran (“to cause to rise, raise, rear, build, create”). Doublet of rear.

Verb

raise (third-person singular simple present raises, present participle raising, simple past and past participle raised)

1. (physical) To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
   1. To form by the accumulation of materials or constituent parts; to build up; to erect.
   2. To cause something to come to the surface of the sea.

   3. (nautical) To cause (the land or any other object) to seem higher by drawing nearer to it.

   4. To make (bread, etc.) light, as by yeast or leaven.
   5. (figuratively) To cause (a dead person) to live again; to resurrect.

   6. (military) To remove or break up (a blockade), either by withdrawing the ships or forces employed in enforcing it, or by driving them away or dispersing them.
   7. (military, transitive) To relinquish (a siege), or cause this to be done.
2. (transitive) To create, increase or develop.
   1. To collect or amass.

   2. To bring up; to grow; to promote.

   3. To mention (a question, issue) for discussion.

   4. (law) To create; to constitute (a use, or a beneficial interest in property).

   5. To bring into being; to produce; to cause to arise, come forth, or appear.
3. To establish contact with (e.g., by telephone or radio).

4. (poker, intransitive) To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand.

5. (arithmetic) To exponentiate, to involute.

6. (linguistics, transitive, of a verb) To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause.
7. (linguistics, transitive, of a vowel) To produce a vowel with the tongue positioned closer to the roof of the mouth.
8. To increase the nominal value of (a cheque, money order, etc.) by fraudulently changing the writing or printing in which the sum payable is specified.
9. (computing) To throw (an exception).

Usage notes

• It is standard US English to raise children, and this usage has become common in all kinds of English since the 1700s. Until fairly recently, however, US teachers taught the traditional rule that one should raise crops and animals, but rear children, despite the fact that this contradicted general usage. It is therefore not surprising that some people still prefer to rear children and that this is considered correct but formal in US English. It is widespread in UK English and not considered formal.
• It is generally considered incorrect to say rear crops or (adult) animals in US English, but this expression is common in UK English.

Synonyms

• (to cause to rise): lift

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

raise (plural raises)

1. (US) An increase in wages or salary; a rise (UK).

   The boss gave me a raise.

2. (weightlifting) A shoulder exercise in which the arms are elevated against resistance.
3. (curling) A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward.
4. (poker) A bet that increases the previous bet.

Derived terms

• lateral raise
• leg raise

Translations

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hreysi; the spelling came about under the influence of the folk etymology that derived it from the verb.

Noun

raise (plural raises)

1. A cairn or pile of stones.

Translations

Further reading

• raise on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Aesir, Aries, ERISA, Resia, aesir, aires, arise, reais, serai

Middle English

Noun

raise

1. Alternative form of reys