To make or become wider; to increase in width or scope.
From Old English wīd meaning 'wide, broad' plus the suffix -en to form verbs. The word evolved in Middle English as widen, following the pattern of other verbs like 'strengthen' and 'deepen'. The figurative sense of expanding scope developed alongside the literal meaning.
The verb 'widen' beautifully demonstrates how English creates new verbs from adjectives by simply adding '-en' - a pattern so productive that new examples still emerge regularly. What's fascinating is how the word works both literally (widen a road) and metaphorically (widen your perspective), showing language's ability to map physical concepts onto abstract ideas.
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