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
.
© Webster 1913.
Sharp"en, v. i.
To grow or become sharp.
© Webster 1913.