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Origin and history of widen

widen(v.)

c. 1600 (transitive), "make (something) wide or wider," from wide (adj.) + -en (1). Intransitive sense of "grow wider" is by 1709. Simple wide was used as a verb from c. 1300. Related: Widened; widening.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to widen

wide(adj.)

"having relatively great extension from side to side; having a certain or specified extension from side to side;" Old English wid, also "vast, long," also used of time; from Proto-Germanic *widaz (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian wid, Old Norse viðr, Dutch wijd, Old High German wit, German weit), which is perhaps (Watkins) from PIE *wi-ito-, from root *wi- "apart, away, in half."

The meaning "distended, expanded, spread apart" is attested by c. 1500; the sense of "embracing many subjects" is from 1530s. The meaning "missing the intended target" is from 1580s. Of a dialect, "characterized by a broad accent," by mid-15c.

As a second element in compounds (such as nationwide, worldwide) and meaning "extending through the whole of," it is from late Old English. Wide-screen in reference to cinema projection is by 1931.

-en(1)

word-forming element making verbs (such as darken, weaken) from adjectives or nouns, from Old English -nian, from Proto-Germanic *-inojan (also source of Old Norse -na), from PIE adjectival suffix *-no-. Most active in Middle English and early modern English, hence most verbs in -en are comparatively recent.

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    Trends of widen

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    narrow
    Middle English narwe, from Old English nearu "of little width, not wide or broad; constricted, limited; petty; causing difficulty, oppressive; strict, severe," from West Germanic *narwaz "narrowness" (source also of Frisian nar, Old Saxon naru, Middle Dutch nare, Dutch naar) whic
    extend
    early 14c., "to value, assess," from Anglo-French estendre (late 13c.), Old French estendre "stretch out, extend, increase," transitive and intransitive (Modern French étendre), from Latin extendere "stretch out, spread out; increase, enlarge, prolong, continue," from ex "out" (s
    ream
    "to enlarge a hole," especially "to widen or enlarge by the use of a rotary cutter," 1815, a word of "somewhat doubtful origin...This is from Old English ryman "widen, extend, enlarge," from Proto-Germanic *rumijan (source also of Old Saxon rumian, Old...Norse ryma, Old Frisian rema, Old High German rumen, German räumen "to make room, widen"), from *rumaz "spacious" (see room...
    relax
    French relaschier "set free; soften; reduce" (14c.) and directly from Latin relaxare "relax, loosen, open, stretch out, widen...
    stretch
    Middle English strecchen, from Old English streccan (transitive and intransitive) "draw out to full length, spread out, prostrate (oneself);" also "to reach or extend in space" (past tense strehte, past participle streht). This is from Proto-Germanic *strakjanan (source also of D
    change
    c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
    modify
    late 14c., modifien, "alter, amend, adjust, change the properties, form, or function of;" also "set limits, keep within the bounds of reason; choose a middle course," from Old French modifier (14c.), from Latin modificare "to limit, measure off, restrain," from modus "measure, ma
    increase
    mid-14c., encresen, "become greater in size or number" (intransitive); late 14c., "cause to grow, enlarge" (transitive), from Anglo-French encress-, Old French encreiss-, present participle stem of encreistre, from Latin increscere "to increase, to grow upon, grow over, swell, gr
    vary
    mid-14c. (transitive); late 14c. (intransitive), from Old French variier "be changed, go astray; change, alter, transform" and directly from Latin variare "change, alter, make different," from varius "varied, different, spotted;" perhaps related to varus "bent, crooked, knock-kne
    detail
    c. 1600, "attention to particulars," from French détail, from Old French detail "small piece or quantity," literally "a cutting in pieces," from detaillier "cut in pieces" (12c.), from de- "entirely" (see de-) + taillier "to cut in pieces" (see tailor). French en détail "piece by

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