heighten (v.)

mid-15c., heightenen, transitive, "to exalt, to honor or raise to high position," from height + -en (1). Intransitive sense of "to become higher" is from 1560s. Related: Heightened; heightening.

Entries linking to heighten

height (n.)

Old English hiehþu, Anglian hehþo "highest part or point, summit; the heavens, heaven," from root of heah "high" (see high) + -itha, Germanic abstract noun suffix (as in width, depth; see -th (2)). Compare Old Norse hæð, Middle Dutch hoochte, Old High German hohida, Gothic hauhiþa "height." Meaning "distance from bottom to top" is from late 13c. Meaning "excellence, high degree of a quality" is late 14c. Century Dictionary says "there is no reason for the distinction of vowel between high and height. The modern pronunciation with -t emerged 13c. but wasn't established until 19c.; Milton used highth and heighth is still colloquial in English. Compare Dutch hoogte, Danish hjöde.

-en (1)

word-forming element making verbs (such as darken, weaken) from adjectives or nouns, from Old English -nian, from Proto-Germanic *-inojan (also source of Old Norse -na), from PIE adjectival suffix *-no-. Most active in Middle English and early modern English, hence most verbs in -en are comparatively recent.

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Definitions of heighten

heighten (v.)

become more extreme;

The tension heightened

Synonyms: rise

heighten (v.)

make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity;

heightened interest

heighten (v.)

increase;

heighten the tension

Synonyms: enhance / raise

heighten (v.)

increase the height of;

The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars

heighten (v.)

make (one's senses) more acute;

Synonyms: sharpen

heighten (v.)

make more intense, stronger, or more marked;

Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness

Synonyms: intensify / compound / deepen

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near heighten

heh

he-he

heifer

heigh-ho

height

heighten

heighth

heil

Heimlich maneuver

Heimweh

Heinie