neaten
Meaning
to make something neat or tidy
Structure
Usage
she quickly neatened the papers on her desk before the meeting.
he stopped to neaten his tie in the mirror.
i need to neaten up the garden this weekend.
Etymology
the word 'neaten' is a modern english formation, created by applying the productive germanic suffix '-en' to the existing adjective 'neat'. the adjective 'neat' itself has a long history, tracing back to the latin nitidus meaning "shining, elegant," which influenced its old french descendant net ("clean, pure"). this old french term was borrowed into middle english, where it evolved in sense from "clean, elegant" to its current meaning of "tidy and orderly." therefore, 'neaten' literally means "to make tidy," following a common pattern in english where an adjective is converted into a causative verb through suffixation.
Analysis
neat: from middle english nete, nete, meaning "clean, elegant," of germanic origin. en: a verb-forming suffix of germanic origin, meaning "to make or become."