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sharpening |
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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