The word intensify is spelled with the prefix "in-" meaning "not," followed by the root word "intense" and the suffix "-ify," indicating the action of making something more intense. Phonetically, the word can be transcribed as /ɪnˈtɛnsɪfaɪ/. The "in-" is pronounced as "ihn," the "tens" as "tenz," and the "-ify" as "uh-fahy." Overall, "intensify" means to make something stronger or more pronounced, often used in the context of emotions or actions.
Intensify is a verb that refers to the act of making something stronger, more forceful, or more prominent. It implies increasing the degree, magnitude, or intensity of something. This term can apply to various contexts, including physical, emotional, or abstract situations.
In physical terms, intensifying entails augmenting the power, vigor, or severity of an action, sensation, or quality. For instance, if someone were to intensify their workout routine, they would make it more demanding or physically challenging. Similarly, if a storm intensifies, it becomes more violent or destructive.
Emotionally, intensify embodies deepening or heightening feelings or sentiments. This can relate to both positive and negative emotions. For example, when a couple's relationship intensifies, it means their feelings for each other have grown more passionate or profound. Conversely, if someone's anger intensifies, it implies that their fury or indignation has increased in intensity or severity.
In abstract terms, intensify revolves around amplifying the impact, significance, or strength of an idea, effect, or characteristic. This can pertain to anything from intensifying the colors in a painting to intensifying efforts to combat climate change.
Overall, the term intensify implies strengthening or enhancing something, whether it is a physical action, an emotional state, or an abstract concept, by making it more forceful, potent, or pronounced.
To render more intense.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word intensify is derived from the Latin word intensificare, which is a combination of two Latin roots: intensus meaning stretched tight or taut, and facere meaning to make or to do. Therefore, the word intensify can be understood as to make something tight or stretched.