English Dictionary

-en

IPA（発音記号）

/ən/

接尾辞

形態素

When attached to certain adjectives, it forms a transitive verb whose meaning is, to make (adjective). Usually, the verb is ergative, sometimes not. The same construction could also be done to certain (fewer) nouns, as, strengthen, in which case the verb means roughly, "to give (noun) to", or "to become like (noun)".

日本語の意味

形容詞に接続されると、その形容詞の性質に「させる」や「～化する」という意味の他動詞を作る（例：short → shorten＝短くする） / 一部の名詞に接続されると、名詞の持つ性質に「する」や「～になる」という意味の他動詞を作る（例：bright → brighten＝明るくする）

Linguists note that attaching the suffix -en to adjectives like 'wide' or 'black' forms verbs such as widen and blacken, meaning 'to make (adjective)'.

言語学者は、形容詞に付けて「〜にする」という意味の他動詞を作る接尾辞を「wide」や「black」のような語に付けると、widenやblackenのような動詞が生じると指摘している。

意味（1）

When attached to certain adjectives, it forms a transitive verb whose meaning is, to make (adjective). Usually, the verb is ergative, sometimes not. The same construction could also be done to certain (fewer) nouns, as, strengthen, in which case the verb means roughly, "to give (noun) to", or "to become like (noun)".

white (adjective) + -en → whiten