enliven

English

Etymology

From life +‎ en- -en, intensifying verbal circumfix.[1]

Pronunciation

Verb

enliven (third-person singular simple present enlivens, present participle enlivening, simple past and past participle enlivened)

  1. (archaic, transitive) To give life or spirit to; to revive or animate.
  2. (transitive) To make more lively, cheerful or interesting.
    The game was much enlivened when both teams scored within five minutes of each other.

Synonyms

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References

  1. ↑ The Oxford English Dictionary (2007) states that enliven was formed by the simultaneous prefixing of en- and suffixing of -en, which, by definition, constitutes circumfixation.
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