tighten
/ˈtaɪ.tən/
TAꞮ · tən (2 syllables)
English
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Definition
To make tighter.
Etymology
Synchronically equivalent to tight + -en, but actually derived from Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan, thus originally unrelated to tight (Old English *þiht).
Example Sentences
- "Please tighten that screw a quarter-turn."
- "Just where I please, with tighten;d rein / I'll urge thee round the dusty plain."
- "That joint is tightening as the wood dries."
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