liven

English

Etymology 1

Shortening of enliven.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪvən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪvən

Verb

liven (third-person singular simple present livens, present participle livening, simple past and past participle livened)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To cause to be more lively, or to become more lively.

   Synonyms: liven up; see also Thesaurus:enliven

   Let's liven up this party!

   • 1905, The American Historical Review, the American Historical Association, page 380:

     Bacon's Rebellion (p. 54) has no political meaning for Mr. Bruce. Champlain's fight with the Iroquois is told to liven the narrative with a fight (p. 36), but the far-reaching result is merely hinted in a manner that means nothing to one who doesn't know. The ideals and purposes of the Jesuits are not mentioned.

   • 1930, Bim Sherman, The Century:

     […] and he fought for others' banners,
     And he dined at others' tables, and he droned in others' hives,
     And he livened others' journeys, and he rhymed of others' tourneys,
     And he emptied others' flagons, and he flirted others' wives.

   • 1958: Marco Polo, Ronald Latham (translator), The Travels of Marco Polo

     Instead of the picturesque fables* that liven the pages of ‘Sir John Mandeville’ and of many more authentic travellers, he gives us no less picturesque facts, and facts in great abundance.

   • 1979: The American School Board Journal, volume 166, no. 1, January 1979, published by the National School Boards Association, caption to an image in the May 1979 section

     Visiting professionals frequently liven the day at the Elm Creative Arts School.

   • 1997, David Nevin, 1812:

     Anacreon […] celebrated wine and love and must have been a rousing fellow. Probably he livened heaven when he arrived.

   • 2003, Sarah Garland, The Herb Garden, page 69:

     […] to invigorate and liven the spirits.

   • 2005, Michael Winter, The Big Why: A Novel:

     The fact of this made him realize he had a story. He livened. Father was washed overboard, Rupert said. He was going through the water like a duck.

Translations

to become more lively

• Bulgarian: оживявам се (oživjavam se)

Etymology 2

From Middle English liven, equivalent to live +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɪvən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪvən

Verb

liven

1. (obsolete) plural simple present of live
   • 1471, Margaret Paston, The Paston Letters:

     We liven in fear, but we wot not whither to flee for to be better than we arn here.

   • 1579, Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender:

     What shoulden shepheards other things tend,
     Then, sith their God his good does them send,
     Reapen the fruite thereof, that is pleasure,
     The while they here liven, at ease and leasure?

   • 1647, Henry More, The Confutation of the Sleep of the Soul, Canto III:

     Wherefore so long as they make their abode
     In Him, incorp'rate by due Unitie
     They liven in eternall energie,

Anagrams

• Elvin, Levin, Nevil, V line, V-line, levin, v-line

Esperanto

Etymology

From live (“on the left”) +‎ -n (lative ending).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈliven]
• Rhymes: -iven
• Hyphenation: li‧ven

Adverb

liven

1. (neologism) to the left

   Synonym: maldekstren

   Antonym: dekstren

Middle English

Verb

liven

1. Alternative form of lyven

Swedish

Noun

liven

1. definite plural of liv

West Frisian

Noun

liven

1. plural of liif