To make or become higher, greater, or more intense; to increase the degree, level, or intensity of something.
Formed by adding the suffix '-en' (meaning 'to make' or 'to become') to 'height'. This follows the common English pattern of creating verbs from adjectives or nouns to express the action of making something have that quality.
Heighten works both literally and figuratively because our minds naturally connect 'up' with 'more'! We heighten buildings by making them taller, but we also heighten emotions, tensions, or awareness - our brains use the same spatial metaphor for physical and abstract increases.
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