embolden
verbUK /ɛmˈbəʊld(ə)n/ · US /ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/
Etymology From bold (adjective) + em- -en (variant of en- -en (circumfix forming transitive verbs denoting an increase in, or intensification of, the quality denoted by the enclosed word)). Compare Middle English embolden, enbolden (“to make bold, encourage”) (modern English embold, enbold, imbold (obsolete)), and inboldysshen (“to embolden, encourage”).
1
To render (someone) bolder or more courageous; to encourage, to hearten.
- Steel your thoughts, ſharp your reſolue, imboldẽ your spirit, graſp your ſvvords; alarum miſchief, & vvith an vndãted brovv, out ſcout the grim oppoſition of most menacing perill.1600 or 1601 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [by Matthew Lownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act V, scene iii, signatures I4, recto – I4, verso:
- I haue heard many ſuch things: miſerable comforters are ye all. Shall vaine words haue an ende? or what emboldeneth thee, that thou anſwereſt?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 16:2–3, column 2:
4 more examples
- I haue ſeene a pardon giuen to a man vpon the gallovves, but vvho ſo emboldeneth himſelfe thereuypon, perhaps the rope may be his hire: it is not good to put it vpon the Pſalme of Miſerere, and the neck-verſe, for ſometime he prooues no clarke.1619, Samuell Hieron, “The Worth of the Water of Life. Dauids Longing, and Dauids Loue. The Good Fight. [II. Tim[othy] 4. 7.]”, in The Sermons of Master Samuell Hieron, […], London: […] Iohn Beale [and John Legatt printer to the Uniuersitie of Cambridge for Thomas Man, Ioyce Macham, Cantrell Legge, and Simon Waterson], published 1620, →OCLC, pages 222–223:
- Their lookes imboldned, modeſtie novv gone, / Conuert at length to little-differing Stone.1626, Ovid, “The Tenth Booke”, in George Sandys, transl., Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished […], London: […] William Stansby, →OCLC, page 201:
- Give me a reaſon; vvhat is it that ſtirrs thee to reply upon me, VVhat emboldeneth thee to anſvver? The Hebrevv vvord ſignifies, firſt, to ſtrengthen, to fortifie, or confirme; he that is ſtrengthened, is emboldened.1650, Joseph Caryl, “Job, Chap. 16, Vers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 [Verse 3]”, in An Exposition with Practicall Observations Continued upon the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Chapters of the Book of Job: […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, and are to be sould by Thomas Eglesfeild […], →OCLC, page 222:
- Thus I embold'nd ſpake, and freedom us'd / Permiſſive, and acceptance found, which gain'd / This anſwer from the gratious voice Divine.1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1071–1073:
2
Media, Publishing, Typography To format (text) in boldface.
- This note introduces several additional features of LATEX: […] ▪ The use of text style commands, including the \emph command to emphasize text, the \textbf command to embolden text, and the \texttt command to produce typewriter style text.1999, George [A.] Grätzer, “Typing Text”, in First Steps in LATEX, Boston, Mass.: Birkhäuser; New York, N.Y.: Springer, →ISBN, page 8:
- The [HTML] tags <p></p> indicate paragraphs breaks, and we have included some basic text formatting: <em></em> for emphasis (typically italics), <u></u> for underline and <strong></strong> to embolden text.2004, Jason Whittaker, “Web Design”, in The Cyberspace Handbook, London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, part III (Reading/Writing Cyberspace), page 216:
1 more example
- Embolden the company name. Balance-wise, the company name could do with standing out more.2007, Craig Grannell, “Getting User Feedback”, in The Essential Guide to HTML5 and CSS3 Web Design, Berkeley, Calif.: Friends of ED, Apress, →ISBN, page 339:
- Derived terms
- emboldener, emboldening, emboldenment, reembolden, re-embolden
- Related terms
- bolden, embold