augment

English

WOTD – 3 March 2010

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• Verb:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔːɡˈmɛnt/

    • Audio (UK):

      (file)

  • (without the cot–caught merger, General American, US) IPA^(key): /ɔɡˈmɛnt/
  • (cot–caught merger, General American, Atlantic Canada) IPA^(key): /ɑɡˈmɛnt/
  • (Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /oːɡˈment/

    • Audio (Queensland):

      (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɛnt
• Noun:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːɡmɛnt/, /ˈɔːɡmənt/

    • Audio (UK):

      (file)

  • (without the cot–caught merger, General American, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɡmɛnt/, /ˈɔɡmənt/
  • (cot–caught merger, General American, Atlantic Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɑɡmɛnt/, /ˈɑɡmənt/

    • Audio (California):

      (file)

  • (Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈoːɡment/
• Hyphenation: aug‧ment

Verb

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.

   • 1561, Richard Eden, “To the Ryght Worshypfull Syr Wyllyam Garrerd Knyght, and Master Thomas Lodge, Aldermen of the Citie of London, and Gouernours of the Honorable Felowshyp or Societie, aswell of Certaine of the Nobilitie, as of Marchauntes Aduenturers, for the Discouery of Landes, Territories, Ilandes, and Seignories Vnknowen, and Not before Their First Aduenture or Enterprise by Seas or Nauigations Commonly Frequented: And to the Right Worshypfull the Consulles, Assistentes, and Comminaltie of the Same Societie, Richarde Eden Wyssheth Health and Prosperitie”, in Martin Cortes [i.e., Martín Cortés de Albacar], translated by Richard Eden, The Arte of Nauigation: Conteynyng a Compendious Description of the Sphere, with the Makyng of Certen Instrumentes and Rules for Nauigations: and Exemplified by Manye Demonstrations. […], London: […] Richard Jugge, […], →OCLC, signature [¶ iii], recto:

     [T]he fauour of Princes and Magiſtrates noryſheth, augmenteth, and amplyfyeth all artes and ſciences by liberalitie, and extynguyſheth the ſame by miſerable couetouſnes and parcimonie.

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.

Derived terms

• augmentary
• augmentee
• augmentive
• bioaugment
• reaugment

Translations

to increase, make larger or supplement — see also enhance,‎ boost,‎ upgrade,‎ improve,‎ increment,‎ potentiate

• Bulgarian: увеличавам (bg) (uveličavam), прибавям (bg) (pribavjam)
• Catalan: augmentar (ca)
• Czech: rozšířit (cs), zvětšit (cs)
• Dutch: vergroten (nl), verhogen (nl), aanvullen (nl)
• Finnish: lisätä (fi), kasvattaa (fi), laajentaa (fi)
• French: augmenter (fr)
• German: vergrößern (de), erhöhen (de), vermehren (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: αὐξάνω (auxánō)

• Ido: augmentar (io)
• Italian: aumentare (it), crescere (it), accrescere (it), potenziare (it)
• Japanese: 増やす (ja) (fuyasu)
• Korean: 증가시키다 (jeunggasikida)
• Latin: augeo (la), accumulō
• Lithuanian: padidinti
• Māori: whakakaurahi, whakarawaka
• Middle English: augmenten
• Norwegian: øke (no)
• Portuguese: aumentar (pt)
• Russian: (increase/make larger) увели́чивать (ru) impf (uvelíčivatʹ), увели́чить (ru) pf (uvelíčitʹ), (supplement) дополня́ть (ru) impf (dopolnjátʹ), допо́лнить (ru) pf (dopólnitʹ)
• Spanish: aumentar (es), augmentar, embonar (es), jerarquizar (es), acrecentar (es)
• Swedish: öka (sv)
• Turkish: çoğaltmak (tr), artırmak (tr)

to become greater

• Bulgarian: увеличавам се (uveličavam se)
• Catalan: augmentar (ca)
• Czech: nabýt (cs), vzrůst (cs), vyrůst (cs)
• Dutch: verhogen (nl)
• Finnish: kasvaa (fi), laajeta (fi)
• French: s'accroître (fr), s'agrandir (fr)
• German: wachsen (de), zunehmen (de)
• Italian: aumentarsi, accrescersi (it)
• Japanese: 大きくなる (ookiku naru), 増える (ja) (fueru)
• Middle English: augmenten
• Portuguese: aumentar (pt)
• Russian: увели́чиваться (ru) impf (uvelíčivatʹsja), увели́читься (ru) pf (uvelíčitʹsja)
• Turkish: çoğalmak (tr), artmak (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: آرتمق (artmak)

to slow the tempo or meter

• Bulgarian: забавям (bg) (zabavjam)
• Catalan: augmentar (ca)
• Dutch: vergroten (nl)
• Finnish: augmentoida, harventaa (fi)
• French: élargir le mouvement

to increase an interval by a half step

• Catalan: augmentar (ca)
• Dutch: vergroten (nl)
• Finnish: laajentaa (fi)
• French: augmenter l'intervalle
• Italian: aggiungere (it)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 增加 (zh) (zēngjiā)

• French: (1) ^{(please verify)} augmenter (fr)
• Interlingua: (1) ^{(please verify)} augmentar
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 増やす (ja) (fuyasu, 1), ^{(please verify)} 増加する (zoukasuru, 1)
• Latin: (1) ^{(please verify)} augmentare
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} palakihin
• Volapük: (1) ^{(please verify)} xäinön (vo)

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “augment”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Noun

augment (plural augments)

1. (grammar) A grammatical prefix
   2. (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.

   4. (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.

   6. (Bantu languages) In some languages, an additional vowel prepended to the noun prefix.
2. An increase.

Derived terms

• augmentless

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ewg- (0 c, 40 e)

• auction
• augmentable
• augmentation
• august
• author
• authorize
• auxiliary

Translations

grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb

• Armenian: նախահավելված (hy) (naxahavelvac)
• Czech: augment m
• Dutch: augment n
• Finnish: augmentti (fi)
• French: augment (fr) m
• German: Augment (de) n, Augmentum n
• Ido: augmento (io)
• Lithuanian: augmentas m
• Polish: augment (pl) m
• Russian: аугмент (ru) (augment)

See also

• Appendix:Glossary#augment

Further reading

• “augment”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “augment”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “augment”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• mutagen, negatum

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin augmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [əwɡˈme̞n], [əwˈme̞n]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əwɡˈment], [əwˈment]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [əwɡˈmen], [əwˈmen]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [awɡˈment], [awˈment]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [awɡˈmen], [awˈmen]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

augment m (plural augments)

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

Related terms

• augmentar
• augmentatiu

Further reading

• “augment”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin augmentum or another European language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑu̯xˈmɛnt/
• Hyphenation: aug‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

augment n (plural augmenten, no diminutive)

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

Related terms

• augmentatie
• augmenteren

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin augmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oɡ.mɑ̃/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

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)

     note: this quote is in Middle French

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.

Related terms

• augmenter

Further reading

• “augment”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin augmentum, from augere (“to increase”). First attested in c. 1425.

Alternative forms

• agment, augement
• awgment (East Anglia)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /au̯ɡˈmɛnt/, /ˈau̯ɡmɛnt/

Noun

augment (uncountable) (Late Middle English, uncommon)

1. An intensification or strengthening.
2. (pathology) The stage of a disease where it increases in severity.

   Synonym: augmentacioun

Descendants

• English: augment
  • → Middle Scots: augment

References

• “augment, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “augment, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Norri, Juhani, compiler (2016), “augment”, in Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary in English, 1375–1550, part I & II, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 78.

Etymology 2

Verb

augment

1. alternative form of augmenten

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-der.

Proto-Indo-European *h₂owg-éye-ti

Proto-Italic *augejō

Proto-Italic *augeō

Latin augeō

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom

Proto-Italic *-mentom

Latin -mentum

Latin augmentumlbor.

Polish augment

Learned borrowing from Latin augmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈawɡ.mɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awɡmɛnt
• Syllabification: aug‧ment

Noun

augment m inan

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

Declension

Declension of augment

	singular	plural
nominative	augment	augmenty
genitive	augmentu	augmentów
dative	augmentowi	augmentom
accusative	augment	augmenty
instrumental	augmentem	augmentami
locative	augmencie	augmentach
vocative	augmencie	augmenty

Related terms

adjectives

• augmentatywny

nouns

• augmentacja
• augmentatiwum
• augmentatyw

Further reading

• “augment”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[1] (in Polish)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French augment or Latin augmentum.

Noun

augment n (plural augmente)

1. increase, growth, augmentation

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	augment	augmentul	augmente	augmentele
genitive-dative	augment	augmentului	augmente	augmentelor
vocative	augmentule		augmentelor