weaken

Meanings

• verb

  Make (someone or something) less strong, effective, or able to resist; undermine.

  - "The constant criticism from her colleagues began to weaken her confidence."
  - "The disease had weakened him, and he was no longer able to work long hours."

• verb

  Make (a material or structure) less strong or secure.

  - "The old bridge was weakened by the constant flow of water."
  - "The weakening of the walls allowed the enemy to breach the castle."

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with weaken
lean , mean , glean , clean

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Variants

List of all variants of weaken that leads to same result
weaken , weakened , weakener , weakeners , weakening , weakens

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

Old English wecan, wican : weaken, wane, wane, weaken, wiccan, to move, to shake, to change, to transform.

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Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. The word weaken comes from the Old English wecan, which means 'to move, to shake, to change, to transform'.

2. Weaken is a transitive verb, which means it requires a direct object. For example, 'He weakened the wall' rather than 'The wall weaken'.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. strength: Weaken is often used in contrast to the concept of strength, which can refer to physical, emotional, or mental resilience.

2. undermine: Weaken can also mean to undermine, which refers to the act of secretly or gradually causing the failure or collapse of something.

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Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

Weaken has been used extensively in literature and art to depict characters or situations that are losing strength or resilience. For example, in Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth's mental state is described as being 'weaken'd,' and in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the titular character's dreams are 'weaken'd' by the harsh realities of life.

How to Memorize "weaken"

1. visualize
   

   - Visualize a plant that is wilting or a person who is losing energy. These images can help you remember the meaning of weaken.

2. associate
   

   - Associate weaken with the idea of something becoming less strong or effective.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Create a mnemonic by remembering that weaken starts with the letter 'w,' which can remind you of the idea of 'wilting' or 'weakening'.

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Memorize "weaken" using Dictozo

The best and recommended way to memorize weaken is, by using Dictozo. Just save the word in Dictozo extension and let the app handle the rest. It enhances the memorization process in two ways:

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