stouten: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare/ObsoleteArchaic, Literary
Quick answer
What does “stouten” mean?
To make or become stout, bold, or courageous.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To make or become stout, bold, or courageous; to strengthen physically or morally.
To cause to become thicker, more robust, or more determined; can refer to both physical strengthening (like a structure) or psychological emboldening.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is equally obsolete in both varieties. No significant regional difference in usage.
Connotations
Archaic, possibly poetic. Might be encountered in 19th-century literature or historical texts.
Frequency
Extremely rare in modern corpora for both BrE and AmE. Slightly higher historical frequency in BrE texts simply due to corpus composition.
Grammar
How to Use “stouten” in a Sentence
transitive: to stouten something/someonereflexive: to stouten oneselfVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “stouten” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The news served to stouten their resolve against the invaders.
- He drank the ale to stouten his heart before the duel.
- The old timber was stoutened with iron braces.
American English
- They needed to stouten the dam before the spring floods.
- She stoutened herself and walked into the boss's office.
- The general's speech was meant to stouten the troops' courage.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A (No derived adjective 'stoutened' is standard).
American English
- N/A (No derived adjective 'stoutened' is standard).
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Only in historical linguistics or literature studies analyzing older texts.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Not used in modern technical contexts.
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “stouten”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “stouten”
- Using it in modern prose.
- Confusing it with 'stout' (adjective).
- Using it without reflexive pronoun when meaning 'to become brave' (e.g., 'He stoutened' is less common than 'He stoutened himself').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered archaic or obsolete. Modern synonyms like 'strengthen' or 'embolden' are used instead.
Yes, historically it could be used reflexively, as in 'to stouten oneself' meaning to make oneself brave or determined.
The related noun is 'stoutness', meaning the quality of being stout (strong, brave, or thick).
For comprehension of older literature and historical texts. It's useful for advanced learners interested in the history of the language, not for active modern use.
To make or become stout, bold, or courageous.
Stouten is usually archaic, literary in register.
Stouten: in British English it is pronounced /ˈstaʊtən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈstaʊt(ə)n/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Stouten one's heart”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'STOUT' (strong/brave) + 'EN' (to make) = to make stout, to strengthen.
Conceptual Metaphor
MORAL OR PHYSICAL STRENGTH IS THICKNESS/SOLIDITY (to stouten = to make more solid).
Practice
Quiz
In which context might you MOST LIKELY encounter the verb 'stouten' today?