augment - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English augmenten, from Middle French augmenter, from Old French augmenter, from Late Latin augmentare (“to increase”), from Latin augmentum (“an increase, growth”), from augere (“to increase”).

augment (third-person singular simple present augments, present participle augmenting, simple past and past participle augmented)

  1. (transitive) To increase; to make larger or supplement.
    The money from renting out a spare room can augment a salary.
  2. (intransitive, reflexive) To grow; to increase; to become greater.
  3. (music) To slow the tempo or meter, e.g. for a dramatic or stately passage.
  4. (music) To increase an interval, especially the largest interval in a triad, by a half step (chromatic semitone).
  5. (grammar, transitive) To add an augment to.

to become greater

to slow the tempo or meter

to increase an interval by a half step

Translations to be checked

augment (plural augments)

  1. (grammar) A grammatical prefix
    1. (Indo-European languages) In some languages, a prefix *é- (अ- (a-) in Sanskrit, ἐ- (e-) in Greek) indicating a past tense of a verb.
      The augment is found in Greek, Indo-Iranian, Armenian and Phrygian.
    2. (Celtic languages) Especially Old Irish, a preverb, usually ro-, used to give a verb a resultative or potential meaning.
      • 1987, Kim McCone, chapter IX, in The early Irish verb, 2nd edition, Maynooth: An Sagart, published 1997, →ISBN, section 3.1, page 93:
        Fundamentally the augment characterizes a verbal action viewed from a non-contemporary standpoint, either the moment of speaking (or writing) or a further verbal action.
    3. (Bantu languages) In some languages, an additional vowel prepended to the noun prefix.
  2. An increase.

Learned borrowing from Latin augmentum.

augment m (plural augments)

  1. increase, rise, rising
  2. (linguistics) augment
  3. (optics) magnification

Borrowed from Latin augmentum or another European language.

augment n (plural augmenten, no diminutive)

  1. (Indo-European grammar) augment (prefix before a past-tense verb)

Borrowed from Latin augmentum.

augment m (plural augments)

  1. (medieval law) part of an estate which a widow could inherit
    • Est aussi conclud et accordé qu'au lieu de douaire dont l'on a accoustumé d'user en France, ladite dame Elisabeth aura pour augment le dot dudit mariage selon l'usage des pais du roy d'Espagne, 166,666 escus d'or sol deux tiers.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
      (marriage contract of the prince of Spain and Ms Elisabeth of France)
  2. (grammar) augment
    L'augment syllabique consiste en l’addition d’une syllabe ; l'augment temporel, dans le changement d’une brève en longue.
    Syllabic augment consists of the addition of a syllable; temporal augment in changing it from short to long.

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Polish augment

Learned borrowing from Latin augmentum.

augment m inan

  1. (grammar) augment (suffix in some Indo-European languages indicating the past tense)

Borrowed from French augment or Latin augmentum.

augment n (plural augmente)

  1. increase, growth, augmentation