1. To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen
an obligation; to strengthen authority.
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . .
With powerful policy strengthen themselves.
Shak. 2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him.
Deut. iii. 28. Syn. — To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage.
Strengthen
(Strength"en) v. i. To grow strong or stronger.
The young disease, that must subdue at length,
Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.
Pope. Strengthener
(Strength"en*er) n. One who, or that which, gives or adds strength. Sir W. Temple.
Strengthening
(Strength"en*ing), a. That strengthens; giving or increasing strength. — Strength"en*ing*ly,
adv.
Strengthening plaster (Med.),
a plaster containing iron, and supposed to have tonic effects.
Strengthful
(Strength"ful) a. Abounding in strength; full of strength; strong. — Strength"ful*ness, n.
Florence my friend, in court my faction
Not meanly strengthful.
Marston. Strengthing
(Strength"ing), n. A stronghold. [Obs.]
Strengthless
(Strength"less), a. Destitute of strength. Boyle.
Strengthner
(Strength"ner) n. See Strengthener.
Strengthy
(Strength"y) a. Having strength; strong. [Obs.]
Strenuity
(Stre*nu"i*ty) n. [L. strenuatis.] Strenuousness; activity. [Obs.] Chapman.
Strenuous
(Stren"u*ous) a. [L. strenuus; cf. Gr. strong, hard, rough, harsh.] Eagerly pressing or urgent; zealous; ardent; earnest; bold; valiant; intrepid; as,
a strenuous advocate for national rights; a strenuous reformer; a strenuous defender of his country.
And spirit-stirring wine, that strenuous makes.
Chapman.
Strenuous, continuous labor is pain.
I. Taylor. — Stren"u*ous*ly, adv. — Stren"u*ous*ness, n.
Strepent
(Strep"ent) a. [L. strepens, p. pr. of strepere to make a noise.] Noisy; loud. [R.] Shenstone.
Streperous
(Strep"er*ous) a. [LL. streperus, fr. L. strepere. See Strepent, and cf. Obstreperous.]
Loud; boisterous. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
Strepitores
(||Strep`i*to"res) n. pl. [NL., fr. L. strepitus clamor.] (Zoöl.) A division of birds, including the
clamatorial and picarian birds, which do not have well developed singing organs.
Strepsipter
(Strep*sip"ter Strep*sip"ter*an) , n. (Zoöl.) One of the Strepsiptera.