- Sharpening
- Sharpen Sharp"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sarpened}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Sharpening}.] [See {Sharp}, a.]
To make sharp. Specifically:
(a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper;
as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw.
(b) To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more
ready or ingenious.
[1913 Webster]
The air . . . sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. --Burke. [1913 Webster] (c) To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires. [1913 Webster]
Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. --Shak. [1913 Webster] (d) To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease. (e) To make biting, sarcastic, or severe. ``Sharpen each word.'' --E. Smith. (f) To render more shrill or piercing. [1913 Webster]
Inclosures not only preserve sound, but increase and sharpen it. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] (g) To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar. (h) (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
