youthen

English

Etymology

From youth +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈjuːθən/^[1]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈjuθən/

Verb

youthen (third-person singular simple present youthens, present participle youthening, simple past and past participle youthened)

1. (transitive) To make younger or more youthful.
   • 1897, George Egerton, Symphonies, page 97:

     It youthened her, melted the stark, hungry grip about her mouth.

   • 1966, Congress for Cultural Freedom, Encounter, Volume 26, page 84:

     Mr. Wilson can hardly be unaware that once a writer chooses to youthen or resurrect a word, it lives again...

2. (intransitive) To become younger or more youthful.
   • 2008, Patrice Rancour, Tales from the Pager Chronicles, page 7:

     He nods, time traveling to a point when there were no central lines, no low blood counts, no immunosuppressive drugs. His face youthens momentarily as he bridges back to a point on a timeline that has none of this devastation on it.

References

1. “youthen, v.” under “youth, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1921.