Added 9 October 2026

fortify

/ˈfɔːtɪfaɪ/ verb

In Latin: fortificō, corrōborō, ēmūniō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fortify at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To give power, strength, or vigour to (oneself or someone, or to something); to strengthen. To support (one's or someone's opinion, statement, etc.) by producing evidence, etc.; to confirm, to corroborate. To increase the nutritional value of (food) by adding ingredients, especially minerals or vitamins. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Soy milk is often fortified with calcium.
To give power, strength, or vigour to (oneself or someone, or to something); to strengthen.
To support (one's or someone's opinion, statement, etc.) by producing evidence, etc.; to confirm, to corroborate.

From Late Middle English fortifien, fortfien (“to strengthen (a castle, etc.) from attack; to strengthen (an army, etc.); to strengthen (a person), aid, support; to reinforce, support; to improve; to increase the efficacy of”), from Old French fortifier (modern French fortifier), from Late Latin fortificāre (“to strengthen, fortify”), from Latin fortis (“powerful, strong”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated or up high”) or *dʰerǵʰ- (“to be firm; robust, strong”)) + -ficō (suffix forming causative or factitive, or other verbs).