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Added 9 October 2026

strengthen

/ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/ verb

In Latin: rōborō, corrōborō, firmō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about strengthen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Make strong or stronger.
This exercise will strengthen your upper body
Gain strength.
His body strengthened
Give a healthy elasticity to.
Let's tone our muscles

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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