deepen
UK[ˈdiːpən]US[ˈdiːpən]
v
to become deeper, or to make something deeper
v
to become stronger or more intense, or to make something stronger or more intense
Morpheme Breakdown
deep
en
deep
adjective
en
verb-forming suffix
Etymology
the word "deepen" is a transparent english formation built from the native germanic adjective "deep" and the productive verb-forming suffix "-en". the old english root "dēop" descends from proto-germanic "deupaz", which is itself derived from the proto-indo-european root "dʰewb-", meaning "deep, hollow". the suffix "-en" has a long history in english for creating factitive and inchoative verbs from adjectives, such as "widen", "sharpen", and "darken". thus, "deepen" literally means "to make or become deep", a meaning that has been extended metaphorically to describe the intensification of abstract qualities like emotions or understanding.
Analysis
Structure: deep (adjective) + en (verb-forming suffix)
- deep: from old english "dēop" (adjective), meaning having great depth, profound. functional role: provides the core semantic meaning.
- en: from old english "-nian", a verb-forming suffix. functional role: converts an adjective into a verb meaning "to make or become (adjective)".
Examples
they plan to deepen the river channel to allow larger ships to pass.
his frown deepened as he read the troubling news.
the course aims to deepen students' appreciation of classical literature.