blacken
UK[ˈblækən]US[ˈblækən]
v
to become black or dark
v
to make something black or dark
v
to damage someone's reputation
Morpheme Breakdown
black
en
black
dark color
en
verb suffix
Etymology
the word 'blacken' is a transparent english formation. its core, 'black', originates from the proto-germanic root blakaz, meaning 'burned' or 'dark', which itself may derive from the pie root bhleg-, meaning 'to burn, shine'. the old english verb-forming suffix '-en' (from '-nian') was productively attached to adjectives to create verbs indicating a change of state. thus, the literal construction 'to make or become black' is directly preserved in its modern meanings, which extend from physical darkening to the figurative tarnishing of a reputation.
Analysis
Structure: black (dark color) + en (verb suffix)
'black' is from old english 'blæc', meaning 'dark, ink'. 'en' is a verb-forming suffix from old english '-nian', used to create verbs meaning 'to become or make something have the quality of'.
Examples
the sky began to blacken with storm clouds.
the flames blackened the stone walls of the old fireplace.
he accused the newspaper of trying to blacken his character.