heighten

English

Etymology

From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height +‎ -en (verbal suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪ̯.tən/, [ˈhaɪ̯tn̩], [ˈhaɪ̯ʔn̩]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtən
• Homophone: Huyton

Verb

heighten (third-person singular simple present heightens, present participle heightening, simple past and past participle heightened)

1. To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
   • 2021 June 2, “Network News: Cambrian Line bridge is raised”, in RAIL, number 932, page 23:

     Black Bridge, near Machynlleth, is being heightened by one metre in a £3.6 million project to reduce delays caused by flooding.

2. To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.

   to heighten beauty

   to heighten a flavor or a tint

   to heighten awareness

   to heighten tension

   the excitement heightened

   “That’s heightened by the impact of climate change,” she added.

   • 2006 December 6, Ashley Seager, “Employment rise gives chancellor a boost”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     If Mr Brown chooses, he could raise his estimate of the economy's "trend" rate of growth in the coming years and so heighten his hopes of tax revenues.

Antonyms

• lessen

Derived terms

• heighten up

Translations

to make higher

• Bulgarian: повишавам (bg) (povišavam), издигам (bg) (izdigam)
• Chinese: Mandarin: 提高 (zh) (tígāo)
• Dutch: verhogen (nl), ^{(please verify)} op (nl)
• Esperanto: altigi (eo), plialtigi
• Finnish: korottaa (fi)
• French: hausser (fr)
• Hungarian: magasít (hu), megemel (hu), megmagasít (hu), feljebb/magasabbra emel
• Icelandic: hækka
• Irish: ardaigh
• Maori: whakatiketike
• Middle English: heightenen, enhauncen
• Persian: بالا بردن (fa) (bâlâ bordan)
• Portuguese: elevar (pt)
• Russian: повыша́ть (ru) impf (povyšátʹ), повы́сить (ru) pf (povýsitʹ)
• Spanish: elevar (es)

to augment, aggravate, intensify

• Bulgarian: усилвам (bg) (usilvam), повишавам (bg) (povišavam)
• Catalan: aixecar (ca)
• Dutch: aandikken (nl), opsmukken (nl)
• Esperanto: akrigi, altigi (eo), plialtigi
• Finnish: korostaa (fi)
• French: hausser (fr)
• Hungarian: fokoz (hu), felfokoz (hu), megnövel (hu), súlyosbít (hu)
• Portuguese: aumentar (pt)
• Russian: повыша́ться (ru) impf (povyšátʹsja), повы́ситься (ru) pf (povýsitʹsja)
• Spanish: realzar (es)