starken

S1T1A1R1K5E1N1

verb

To make unbending or inflexible; stiffen; make obstinate.

OriginMiddle English starkenen →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

verbstarken (third-person singular simple present starkens, present participle starkening, simple past and past participle starkened)

present singular third person starkens · participle present starkening · participle past starkened · past starkened

  1. transitiveTo make unbending or inflexible; stiffen; make obstinate.
adjectivestarken (comparative more starken, superlative most starken)

comparative more starken · superlative most starken

  1. obsoleteStark; complete, absolute.

    Alas poore fellow, he ſeemeth to be a ſtarken idiot.

    1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act III

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
stiffen

Origin

  1. Middle Englishstarkenen“to grow strong”
  2. Englishstarken

From Middle English starkenen (“to grow strong”), equivalent to stark + -en.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Kastnerknaster
Cite this entry
APA

starken. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starken

MLA

“starken.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starken. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “starken,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starken.

Source: starken on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.