Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “strengthen” come from?

strengthen (Middle English) comes from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

strengthen (Middle English): to strengthen, fortify; to empower, to augment;...

Definitions

  1. to strengthen, fortify; to empower, to augment;...

Ancestry of “strengthen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
2Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
3Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
4Proto-Norse-īna-—
5Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
6Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
7Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “strengthen”

  • strengthen
  • strengthening
  • strengtheneth
  • strengthener
  • restrengthen
  • strengthenest
  • strengtheningly
  • strengthenable
  • enstrengthen
  • instrengthen
  • strengthenen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →