Words / C1

FORT-if-eye/ˈfɔːtɪfaɪ/

To fortify is to strengthen a place, system, food, or person against attack, failure, or deficiency: fortify a town, fortify a rota, fortified flour. Strengthen is everyday; reinforce is a close twin; weaken sits opposite. Do not treat a wellbeing poster as the spare invigilator.

Meaning

To strengthen a place, system, or person against attack or failure.

Examples

• “Fortify the night rota with a named spare, not with a wellbeing poster.”
• “Strengthen is everyday. Reinforce is the close twin. Enrich is the food sense. A poster is comms. A name on the night grid is capacity. Print the poster after the name exists.”

Good to know

Strengthen against failure. Everyday: strengthen. Close: reinforce. Also: add nutrients to food. A poster is not a spare.

Near in meaning

strengthen

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