thickening

[thik-uh-ning]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thickening ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a making or becoming thick.

a thickened part or area; swelling.

something used to thicken; thickener.

Origin of thickening

First recorded in 1570–80; thicken + -ing¹

thicken

[thik-uh n]

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become thick or thicker.

to make or grow more intense, profound, intricate, or complex: The plot thickens.

Origin of thicken

1375–1425; late Middle English thiknen < Old Norse thykkna. See thick, -en¹

Related formsre·thick·en, verbun·thick·en, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for thickening

clot, curdle, swell, congeal, condense, stiffen, enlarge, widen, buttress, reinforce, inspissate, jelly, freeze, harden, add, solidify, cake, deepen, coagulate, ossify

Examples from the Web for thickening

Historical Examples of thickening

Now she was squaring and thickening and looking horrid, like Mr. Hancock.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
All at once I became aware that the light was thickening, and that I was very hungry.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
"The mist is thickening," rejoined the woman's voice, sadness in its tone.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
Strain off the liquor; put into it a bit of thickening and some butter.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;
Charlotte Campbell Bury
But come, thou'lt weary of this thickening air, Let us depart.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII. No. 3. March 1848
Various

British Dictionary definitions for thickening

thickening

noun

something added to a liquid to thicken it

a thickened part or piece

thicken

verb

to make or become thick or thickerthicken the soup by adding flour

(intr) to become more involvedthe plot thickened

Derived Formsthickener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for thickening

"substance used to thicken something," 1839, verbal noun from thicken.

thicken

early 15c. (transitive), 1590s (intransitive), from thick + -en (1). Related: Thickened; thickening. An earlier verb was Old English þiccian.