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magnify

 - 5 dictionary results

mag⋅ni⋅fy

  [mag-nuh-fahy] verb, -fied, -fy⋅ing.
Use magnify in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to increase the apparent size of, as a lens does.
2. to make greater in actual size; enlarge: to magnify a drawing in preparing for a fresco.
3. to cause to seem greater or more important; attribute too much importance to; exaggerate: to magnify one's difficulties.
4. to make more exciting; intensify; dramatize; heighten: The playwright magnified the conflict to get her point across.
5. Archaic. to extol; praise: to magnify the Lord.
–verb (used without object)
6. to increase or be able to increase the apparent or actual size of an object.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME magnifien < L magnificāre. See magni-, -fy

Related forms:
mag⋅ni⋅fi⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
2. augment, increase, amplify. 3. overstate.

Antonyms:
1, 2. reduce. 3. minimize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To magnify
mag·ni·fy   (māg'nə-fī')   
v.   mag·ni·fied, mag·ni·fy·ing, mag·ni·fies

v.   tr.

  1. To make greater in size; enlarge.

  2. To cause to appear greater or seem more important than is in fact the case; exaggerate: You have grossly magnified a trivial situation. See Synonyms at exaggerate.

  3. To increase the apparent size of, especially by means of a lens.

  4. To glorify or praise.

v.   intr.
To increase or have the power to increase the size or volume of an image or a sound.

[Middle English magnifien, to extol, from Old French magnifier, from Latin magnificāre, from magnificus, magnificent; see magnific.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

magnify 
c.1380, "to speak or act for the glory or honor (of someone or something)," from O.Fr. magnifier, from L. magnificare "esteem greatly, extol," from magnificus "splendid" (see magnificence). Meaning of "use a telescope or microscope" is first attested 1665.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mag·ni·fy
Pronunciation: 'mag-n&-"fI
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -fied; -fy·ing
transitivesenses
: to enlarge in appearance magnify intransitive senses
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

magnify mag·ni·fy (māg'nə-fī')
v. mag·ni·fied, mag·ni·fy·ing, mag·ni·fies
To increase the apparent size of, especially with a lens.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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