STIFFEN

stiffen

(verb) make stiff or stiffer; “Stiffen the cream by adding gelatine”

stiffen

(verb) become stiff or stiffer; “He stiffened when he saw his boss enter the room”

stiffen, tighten, tighten up, constrain

(verb) severely restrict in scope or extent; “tighten the rules”; “stiffen the regulations”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

stiffen (third-person singular simple present stiffens, present participle stiffening, simple past and past participle stiffened)

(transitive) To make stiff.

(intransitive) To become stiff.

Synonyms

• starken

Anagrams

• infefts

Source: Wiktionary

Stiff"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stiffened; p. pr. & vb. n. Stiffening.] Etym: [See Stiff.]

1. tiono make stiff; to make less pliant or flexible; as, to stiffen cloth with starch. Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood. Shak.

2. To inspissate; to make more thick or viscous; as, to stiffen paste.

3. To make torpid; to benumb.

Stiff"en, v. i.

Definition: To become stiff or stiffer, in any sense of the adjective. Like bristles rose my stiffening hair. Dryden. The tender soil then stiffening by degrees. Dryden. Some souls we see, Grow hard and stiffen with adversity. Dryden.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition