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Origin and history of augmentation

augmentation(n.)

mid-15c., "act of making greater," from Old French augmentacion "increase," from Late Latin augmentationem (nominative augmentatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of augmentare "to increase" (see augment). The meaning "amount by which something is increased" is from 1520s. The musical sense is from 1590s, in fugues (compare augmented).

Entries linking to augmentation

late 14c., "become more severe;" c. 1400, "to make larger; become larger," from Old French augmenter "increase, enhance" (14c.), from Late Latin augmentare "to increase," from Latin augmentum "an increase, growth," from augere "to increase, make big, enlarge, enrich" (from PIE root *aug- (1) "to increase"). Related: Augmented; augmenting. As a noun from early 15c.

c. 1600, "increased," past-participle adjective from augment. The musical sense of "greater by a semitone than a perfect or major interval" (opposite of diminished) is attested by 1825.

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    Trends of augmentation

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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