1  definition  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  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. 
 
  The  air  .  .  .  sharpened  his  visual  ray  To  objects 
  distant  far  --Milton. 
 
  He  that  wrestles  with  us  strengthens  our  nerves  and 
  sharpens  our  skill.  --Burke. 
  c  To  make  more  eager;  as  to  sharpen  men's  desires. 
 
  Epicurean  cooks  Sharpen  with  cloyless  sauce  his 
  appetite.  --Shak. 
  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. 
 
  Inclosures  not  only  preserve  sound,  but  increase 
  and  sharpen  it  --Bacon. 
  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 

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