to make or become greater in number, amount, strength, etc; increase - (transitive)
to increase (a major or perfect interval) by a semitone
Comparediminish 3
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
aug•ment•er
(ôg men′tər),USA pronunciation n.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025- a person or thing that augments.
- Aeronautics, Rocketry[Aviation, Rocketry.]any auxiliary device, as an afterburner, for additional thrust from the exhaust of a jet or rocket engine.
- augment + -er1, -or2 1525–35
aug•ment /ɔgˈmɛnt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
aug•ment•er, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- to make larger;
enlarge in size, number, or strength;
increase:He taught English after work to augment his income.
aug•ment•er, n. [countable]
aug•ment
(v. ôg ment′;n. ôg′ment),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
n.
aug•ment′a•ble, adj.
- to make larger;
enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent;
increase:His salary is augmented by a small inheritance. - Music and Dance
- to raise (the upper note of an interval or chord) by a half step.
- to double the note values of (a theme):In the fugue's development the subject is augmented.
- Grammarto add an augment to.
- Heraldryto grant an augmentation to (a coat of arms).
v.i.
- to become larger.
n.
- Grammara prefixed vowel or a lengthening of the initial vowel that characterizes certain forms in the nonpresent inflection of verbs in Greek, Sanskrit, Armenian, and Phrygian.
- Late Latin augmentāre to increase, derivative of augmentum an increase (aug(ēre) to increase (akin to eke) + -mentum -ment) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending
- Anglo-French, Middle French au(g)menter
- late Middle English au(g)menten 1375–1425
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged swell. See increase.
- 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged increase.
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