[Lexicog] embiggen

[Kenneth C. Hill]

Perhaps "embig" on the pattern of "enlarge"? --Ken

Michael Nicholas <mrnicholas007 at yahoo.es> wrote:                                  
Dear Tim,
   Isn't there a certain tendency to put em instead of en in front of the word because it begins with B? embattle/embank/ emblemish etc.? So embolden and enlighten. In this case enlighten is  - of course - not to make a load less heavy, and  it was needed because it added a new meaning to lighten. I think embiggen is due to the em rather than en before  B and even so widen from wide etc. Ithink we have something on the lines of entrap/ensnare for trap/snare.(verbs). 

Tim Gaved <tim_gaved at sil.org> escribió:
          Michael, 
  
  But note embolden – to make bolder, and enlighten.
  
  The first was probably the model, as “emboldens the  heart” is a recognisable collocation, albeit infrequent or perhaps archaic. It generates a small number of hits in Google.
  
    Tim Gaved
  SIL Senegal

  

  



    

---------------------------------

LLama Gratis a cualquier PC del Mundo.
Llamadas a fijos y móviles desde 1 céntimo por minuto.
http://es.voice.yahoo.com
     
                       

 				
---------------------------------
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lexicography/attachments/20061026/52f8f808/attachment.htm>