fortify

What it means

1. transitiveTo give power, strength, or vigour to (oneself or someone, or to something); to strengthen.

   In the day I called, Thou [God] answeredst me; / Thou fortifiedst me with strength in my soul.

   1863, “Psalm CXXXVIII [Verse 3]”, in W[illiam] Kay, transl., The Psalms, Translated from the Hebrew, […], Calcutta, West Bengal: R. C. Lepage and Co., →OCLC, page 304

   5 more examples

   [I]t [“oleum de costo”] fortifyeth yͤ ſtomack and Lyuer, it keepeth the hayre from fallyng of, & the head from horeneſſe [hoaryness], it cauſeth good colour, and ſauour in all the body.

   1562, William Bullein, “The Booke of Compoundes”, in Bulleins Bulwarke of Defence against All Sicknesse, Soarenesse, and Woundes that Doo Dayly Assaulte Mankinde: […], London: […] Thomas Marshe, […], published 1579, →OCLC, folio 15, verso

   […] I preſum'd it vvill not be unvvelcome to Your Lordſhip, if I here fortifie the Speculations that have been or may be propos'd to explicate theſe things according to the Hypotheſis of the vveight of the Air, by vvhat vve tried to that purpoſe, among others, vvhen vve vvere making uſe of a Syringe in our Engine.

   1669, Robert Boyle, “Experiment XXXII. Shewing, that when the Pressure of the External Air is Taken off, tis Very Easie to Draw up the Sucker of a Syringe, though the Hole, at which the Air or Water should Succeed, be Stopp’d.”, in A Continuation of New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Spring and Weight of the Air, and Their Effects. The I. Part. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Henry Hall, printer to the University, for Richard Davis, →OCLC, page 107

   [T]hey admitted three thouſand into a ſhare of the Government; and thus fortified, became the cruelleſt Tyranny upon Record.

   1701, [Jonathan Swift], “Chapter I”, in A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, with the Consequences They Had upon Both Those States, London: […] John Nutt […], →OCLC, page 8

   Nor must we here omit that great variety of arms with which Nature has differently fortified the bodies of several kinds of animals; such as claws, hoofs, horns, teeth, and tusks, a tail, a sting, a trunk, or a proboscis.

   1711 July 29 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “WEDNESDAY, July 19, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 121; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 144

   Thou [poverty] fortifiest the body, thou strengthenest the soul; and thanks to thee, this life to which the rich cling to as a rock, becomes as a skiff whose anchor death can part without awakening our despair.

   1873 February, Émile Souvestre, “What One Learns Looking Out of a Window”, in A. W. C., transl., edited by [Roderick] Noble, The Cape Monthly Magazine, volume VI (New Series), Cape Town, Cape Colony: J. C. Juta, →OCLC, page 96

2. transitiveTo support (one's or someone's opinion, statement, etc.) by producing evidence, etc.; to confirm, to corroborate.

   [I]t may ſerue for no ſmal iuſtification of the tranſlatour that he fortifyeth his tranſlation vvith the authority of ſuch an auncient manuſcript, vvritten aboue eleuen hundred yeares ago, […]

   1621, Thomas Fitzherbert, chapter VII, in The Obmutesce of F. T. to the Epphata of D. [Samuel] Collins. Or The Reply of F. T. to D. Collins His Defence of My Lord of Winchesters Answere to Cardinall [Robert] Bellarmines Apology. […], [Saint-Omer, France]: [English College Press], →OCLC, paragraph 44, pages 211–212

   2 more examples

   And vnto that texte he wold haue made you a gloſe, that his father and he were one not in ſubſtaunce but in will. And that gloſe he would haue fortified and made ſomewhat ſemely with an other worde of Chriſt, […]

   1528, Thomas More, “A Dialogue Concernynge Heresyes & Matters of Religion […]. Chapter XXVI.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, book I, page 164, column 1

   If he made transcendental distinctions, he fortified himself by drawing all his illustrations from sources disdained by orators and polite conversers; from mares and puppies; from pitchers and soup-ladles; from cooks and criers; the shops of potters, horse-doctors, butchers, and fishmongers.

   1850, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Plato; or, The Philosopher”, in Representative Men: Seven Lectures, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson and Company, […], →OCLC, page 58

3. transitiveTo increase the nutritional value of (food) by adding ingredients, especially minerals or vitamins.First known use mid 20th c.

   Soy milk is often fortified with calcium.

   1 more example

   Compare the nutrition information label of a regular ready-to-eat fortified cereal with that of a presweetened brand and you'll note that, although the sweetened one's sugar content is higher, the fortification is virtually identical.

   1979 July, “What’s in Cereals”, in Sidney Sulkin, editor, Changing Times: The Kiplinger Magazine, volume 33, number 7, Washington, D.C.: Austin H. Kiplinger, Kiplinger Washington Editors, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 47, column 1

In a sentence

[I]t [“oleum de costo”] fortifyeth yͤ ſtomack and Lyuer, it keepeth the hayre from fallyng of, & the head from horeneſſe [hoaryness], it cauſeth good colour, and ſauour in all the body.

1562, William Bullein, “The Booke of Compoundes”, in Bulleins Bulwarke of Defence against All Sicknesse, Soarenesse, and Woundes that Doo Dayly Assaulte Mankinde: […], London: […] Thomas Marshe, […], published 1579, →OCLC, folio 15, verso

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerǵʰ-“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated or up high”
2. Latinfortis“powerful, strong”
3. Late Latinfortificāre“to strengthen, fortify”
4. Old Frenchfortifier
5. Middle Englishfortifien
6. Englishfortify

From Late Middle English fortifien, fortfien (“to strengthen (a castle, etc.) from attack; to strengthen (an army, etc.); to strengthen (a person), aid, support; to reinforce, support; to improve; to increase the efficacy of”), from Old French fortifier (modern French fortifier), from Late Latin fortificāre (“to strengthen, fortify”), from Latin fortis (“powerful, strong”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated or up high”) or *dʰerǵʰ- (“to be firm; robust, strong”)) + -ficō (suffix forming causative or factitive, or other verbs).

First known use: mid 20th c.