Aug*ment", v. i. To increase; to grow
larger, stronger, or more intense; as, a stream augments by
rain.
Aug"ment (?), n. [L. augmentum: cf.
F. augment.] 1. Enlargement by addition;
increase.
2. (Gram.) A vowel prefixed, or a
lengthening of the initial vowel, to mark past time, as in Greek and
Sanskrit verbs.
☞ In Greek, the syllabic augment is a prefixed ?, forming
an intial syllable; the temporal augment is an increase of the
quantity (time) of an initial vowel, as by changing ? to ?.
Aug*ment" (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Augmented; p. pr. & vb. n.
Augmenting.] [L. augmentare, fr. augmentum an
increase, fr. augere to increase; perh. akin to Gr. ?, ?, E.
wax, v., and eke, v.: cf. F. augmenter.]
1. To enlarge or increase in size, amount, or degree;
to swell; to make bigger; as, to augment an army by
reëforcements; rain augments a stream; impatience
augments an evil.
But their spite still serves
His glory to augment.
Milton.
2. (Gram.) To add an augment to.