increase
Meaning
to become or to make something larger in number, amount, or degree
a rise in the number, amount, or degree of something
Structure
Usage
The company plans to increase production next year.
There has been a significant increase in demand for renewable energy.
We need to increase our efforts to meet the deadline.
Etymology
The word 'increase' entered Middle English from Anglo-French encreistre, which itself evolved from the Latin verb incrēscere. This Latin term is a compound of the prefix in-, meaning 'in' or 'into', and the verb crēscere, meaning 'to grow'. The literal sense is 'to grow into' or 'to grow upon'. The semantic journey is direct: from the concrete, biological concept of growth (as in plants) to the more abstract application of growth in size, number, or intensity. The core logic of 'increase' has remained remarkably stable from its Latin origins to its modern English usage, consistently denoting a process of becoming larger or more numerous.
Analysis
- in: Latin origin, a prefix meaning 'in, into, on, toward'. - crease: From Latin crēscere, meaning 'to come into being, grow, increase'. In this word, it functions as the core root.