toughened
Meaning
to become tough or make something tough
to make someone or something stronger and more able to deal with difficult conditions
Structure
Usage
the leather was toughened by a special tanning process.
his years in the military really toughened him up.
the safety glass is made from a layer of plastic sandwiched between two layers of toughened glass.
Etymology
the word 'toughened' is built upon the old english adjective 'tōh', which meant strong, tenacious, or difficult to break. this term is of germanic lineage, related to middle dutch 'taey' and old high german 'zāh', all conveying firmness and resilience. the addition of the old english verb-forming suffix '-en' transforms the adjective into a verb, creating 'toughen', meaning to make or become tough. finally, the '-ed' suffix, also from old english, marks the word as a past tense verb or past participle, indicating a completed action or state. thus, the literal progression from a descriptive quality ('tough') to a process of acquiring that quality ('toughen') and finally to its completed state ('toughened') is clearly mapped through its morphemic components.
Analysis
tough: from old english 'tōh' (strong, tenacious), of germanic origin. serves as the adjective root. en: a verb-forming suffix from old english '-nian', used to form verbs from adjectives. ed: a suffix from old english '-ed', '-od', '-ad', used to form the past tense and past participle of weak verbs.