-en verbs from adjectives

-en verbs from adjectives: -en verbs from adjectives

1. There are about fifty verbs ending in -en (e.g. cheapen, harden) which have been formed from adjectives. The table given below shows that this process of verb formation was at its most productive in Middle English and in the early modern period up to about 1700. There is only one possible pair before the Norman Conquest (11c), namely the Old English antecedents of fast and fasten, but the relation of these two words to one another is not at all straightforward. The table also shows representative examples of (1) adjectives (such as blind) which function as verbs without adding -en, (2) adjectives which have two verb forms in current use (such as smooth), (3) adjectives (such as hot, long, and strong) which resort to cognates (heat, lengthen, and strengthen), and (4) adjectives (such as cold) which have no corresponding verb form at all. Dates refer to forms in the preceding columns, and are of the formation of the word, whether or not in the meaning(s) now current.

2. Other verbs, such as enfeeble, enlarge, and enrich (all ME), were formed by adding the prefix en- rather than the suffix -en.

3. Nearly all the -en verbs which came into existence in the 16c and 17c joined or replaced words that were spelt in the same way as the adjective. For example, deep already existed as a verb in the Anglo-Saxon period, and deepen did not join it and compete with it until the 16c.

4. By 1700 the productive power of the suffix had largely disappeared. The 18c produced only broaden, madden, and tighten; the 19c only coarsen, quieten, smarten, and tauten; and the most recent is neaten (1898).

adjective / verb 1 / date / verb 2 / date / verb 3 / date

black / black / ME / blacken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

bright / / ____ / / / ____ / / brighten / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / /

broad / / ____ / / / ____ / / broaden / 18c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

cheap / / ____ / / / ____ / / cheapen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

coarse / / ____ / / / ____ / / coarsen / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

cold / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

damp / damp / ME / dampen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

dark / / ____ / / / ____ / / darken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

dead / / ____ / / / ____ / / deaden / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

deaf / / ____ / / / ____ / / deafen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

deep / / ____ / / / ____ / / deepen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

fast / / ____ / / / ____ / / fasten / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / /

fat / / ____ / / / ____ / / fatten / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

flat / flat / 16c / flatten / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

foul / foul / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

fresh / / ____ / / / ____ / / freshen / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

glad / / ____ / / / ____ / / gladden / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

good / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

hard / / ____ / / / ____ / / harden / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

hot / hot / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / / heat / OE

lame / lame / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

less / / ____ / / / ____ / / lessen / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

light (= not heavy) / / ____ / / / ____ / / lighten / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

light (shining) / light / OE / lighten / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

like / / ____ / / / ____ / / liken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

long / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / lengthen / ME

loose / loose / ME / loosen / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

mad / / ____ / / / ____ / / madden / 18c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

moist / / ____ / / / ____ / / moisten / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

neat / / ____ / / / ____ / / neaten / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

quick / / ____ / / / ____ / / quicken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

quiet / quiet / ME / quieten / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

red / / ____ / / / ____ / / redden / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

ripe / / ____ / / / ____ / / ripen / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

rough / rough / 15c / roughen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

sad / / ____ / / / ____ / / sadden / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

sharp / / ____ / / / ____ / / sharpen / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

short / / ____ / / / ____ / / shorten / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

sick / / ____ / / / ____ / / sicken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

slack / / ____ / / / ____ / / slacken / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

smart / / ____ / / / ____ / / smarten / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

smooth / smooth / ME / smoothen / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

soften / / ____ / / / ____ / / soften / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

stiff / / ____ / / / ____ / / stiffen / 15c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

still / still / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

stout / / ____ / / / ____ / / stouten / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

straight / / ____ / / / ____ / / straighten / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

strong / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / strengthen / ME

sweet / / ____ / / / ____ / / sweeten / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

taut / / ____ / / / ____ / / tauten / 19c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

thick / / ____ / / / ____ / / thicken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

tight / / ____ / / / ____ / / tighten / 18c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

tough / / ____ / / / ____ / / toughen / 16c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

weak / / ____ / / / ____ / / weaken / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

wet / wet / OE / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / / / ____ / /

white / / ____ / / / ____ / / whiten / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

wide / / ____ / / / ____ / / widen / 17c / / ____ / / / ____ / /

worse / / ____ / / / ____ / / worsen / ME / / ____ / / / ____ / /

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-en verbs from adjectives

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