Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “magnify” come from?

Magnify comes from Old French magnifier, derived from Latin magnificare, meaning to make great, from magnificus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-, meaning to place or do.

magnify (English): To praise, glorify; To make larger or more...

Definitions

  1. To praise, glorify; To make larger or more...

Ancestry of “magnify”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmagnifien—

Words derived from “magnify”

  • magnification
  • magnifier
  • biomagnification
  • demagnification
  • biomagnify
  • demagnify
  • magnifiable
  • overmagnification
  • overmagnify
  • biomagnifier
Every word from Middle English magnifien →