Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

greaten

/ˈɡɹeɪtən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: great-en
IPA: /ˈɡɹeɪtən/

8

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To become great or large; increase; dilate.

Intransitive verb

verb

To become great with child; become pregnant.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

verb

To make great; magnify; enlarge; increase.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"one studies how how to please his prince, the other how to greaten and secure him."
"No blushes! all my body's blood / Has gone to greaten this poor heart, / That, loving, we may part."

Etymology

From Middle English gretnen (“to become great, be pregnant”), equivalent to great + -en.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: gretnen

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈɡɹeɪtən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

greatens (present, singular) greatening (participle, present) greatened (participle, past) greatened (past)

Frequently Paired Words

engreaten

Homonyms

graton

Antonyms

decrease lessen

Rhymes With

satan clayton straighten leighton drayton seitan gayton thetan orvietan

Questions

How do you pronounce greaten?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɹeɪtən/.
What does greaten mean?: To become great or large; increase; dilate.
Where does greaten come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce greaten

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “greaten”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɡɹeɪtən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “greaten”.
Repeat and practice — Say “greaten” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.