amplify

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃-lo-s Proto-Italic *amlos? Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder. Proto-Italic *amβi Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós Proto-Italic *plēnosder. Latin plēnus? Latin ambiplus? Latin amplus Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-fakāō Latin -ficō Latin amplificārebor. Old French amplifierbor. Middle English amplifiyen English amplify Inherited from Middle English amplifiyen, borrowed from Old French amplifier, borrowed from Latin amplificāre, from amplus (“abundant, ample”) + -ficō. By surface analysis, ample + -ify.

1. To render larger, more extended, or more intense.

   “amplify the loudspeaker”

   “amplify a telescope”

2. To enlarge by addition or commenting; to treat copiously by adding particulars, illustrations, etc.; to expand.

   “Troilus and Cressida was written by a Lombard author, but much amplified by our English translator.”

   “GCN asked Gill just who this law was aimed at. "Child abusers" he responded. He would not amplify on what he meant by child abusers.”

3. To increase the amplitude of something, especially of an electric current.

   “amplify a signal. It's amplified so you can hear the audio.”

4. To add content that is not present in the source text to the target text, usually to improve the fluency of the translation.