Making something sharp or sharper, like a blade or knife, or improving a skill or ability to make it stronger.
From Old English 'scearp' meaning 'sharp' + '-en' to make + '-ing' for the ongoing action. The word has been used for sharpening tools for over 1,000 years.
Sharpening a knife actually works because you're realigning microscopic metal crystals that have bent from use—it's not removing metal, just reorganizing it, which is why stropping a blade is different from true sharpening!
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