Lengthen
/ˈlɛŋ(k)θən/noun
To make or become longer.
Did you know?Lengthen comes from Old English and is formed with the old suffix -en, which once made verbs meaning “to make or become” something, so the word is basically a built-in spell for extension.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dlongʰos / *dl̥gʰ-
“A root associated with being long or extended”
Old English
OE
længþian
“To lengthen, make longer”
Middle English
ME
lengthen
“To make longer; to prolong”
Modern English
English
lengthen
“To make or become longer”