Where does “heighten” come from?
Heighten comes from Middle English heightenen, a verb formed from the adjective height with the suffix -en.
heighten (English): To make high; to raise higher; to elevate; To...
Definitions
- To make high; to raise higher; to elevate; To...
Ancestry of “heighten”, step by step
heighten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English height
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | height | The distance from the base of something to the... |
| 2 | Middle English | heighte | — |
| 3 | Old English | hēahþu | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hauhiþō | height |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hauhaz | high |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |
via Middle English heightenen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | heightenen | — |