incrassate
Very Rare / ObsoleteTechnical (historical medicine/pharmacy/biology), Archaic
Definition
Meaning
To thicken or make thicker.
1) (verb) To thicken in consistency; to become denser. 2) (adjective, archaic) Thickened; swollen; made thick.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a technical verb in historical scientific contexts (e.g., describing the thickening of a liquid or a bodily fluid). Its adjectival form is largely obsolete. It is not used in modern general English.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No current difference; the word is equally archaic/obsolete in both variants.
Connotations
Carries connotations of old-fashioned scientific or alchemical texts.
Frequency
Extremely rare and not in active use in either variety.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] incrassates [Object] (transitive)[Subject] incrassates (intransitive)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(none)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in historical analysis of scientific or medical texts.
Everyday
Not used; would be incomprehensible to most speakers.
Technical
Historical/obsolete term in pharmacy, alchemy, or early biology.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The old recipe instructed the apothecary to incrassate the herbal decoction over a low flame.
- Certain diseases were thought to incrassate the blood.
American English
- The 17th-century manuscript described a process to incrassate tree sap into a resin.
- He believed the phlegm would incrassate if not purged.
adverb
British English
- (No standard form)
American English
- (No standard form)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- (Not applicable for this word)
- (Not applicable for this word)
- In historical medicine, treatments often aimed to incrassate or thin the body's four humours.
- The word 'incrassate', meaning to thicken, is rarely seen outside old texts.
- The alchemist sought to incrassate the elixir until it achieved a tarry consistency, believing this concentrated its virtues.
- Modern synonyms have entirely supplanted the archaic adjective 'incrassate'.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CRASS (thick, coarse) substance being made even thicker: IN-CRASS-ATE.
Conceptual Metaphor
THICKNESS IS DENSITY / HEALTH IS BALANCE OF FLUIDS (in historical humoral theory).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'increase' (увеличивать). The root relates to thickness, not growth. The closest Russian equivalent for the verb is 'сгущать'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean 'increase' in a general sense. *'Profits incrassated last quarter.' is incorrect.
- Using it in modern contexts where 'thicken' is the correct word.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'incrassate' be most appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an obsolete/archaic term. Use 'thicken', 'condense', or 'concentrate' instead.
They are near-synonyms, both meaning 'to thicken'. 'Inspissate' is also technical but is slightly more likely to be encountered in modern scientific contexts (e.g., 'inspissated secretions'), whereas 'incrassate' is almost purely historical.
Yes, but the adjectival form ('incrassate' or 'incrassated') is even more obsolete than the verb form. It means 'thickened' or 'made thick'.
Dictionaries are historical records of a language. Words like 'incrassate' are included for scholars, readers of historical texts, and to show the etymology and development of the language.