magnified

Everyday

1. Made to look bigger than it really is, using a lens, microscope or magnifying glass. tree →
2. Made louder, stronger or more serious than before. tree →
3. Made to seem more important than it really is; exaggerated. tree →
4. (church, Bible) Praised; «magnify the Lord» means praise God. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, pupils look at magnified cells, insects and crystals, and learn that «× 10» means magnified ten times. In everyday life, worries and noises can be magnified. In church, the Magnificat, Mary's song, begins «My soul magnifies the Lord». Phrases: magnified × 100, magnified image, greatly magnified.

Examples

• Under the microscope, the onion cells were magnified 100 times. tree →
• The magnified picture of a fly's eye was amazing. tree →
• The ant looked huge when magnified. tree →
• In the empty hall, every sound was magnified. tree →
• The problem got magnified because everyone was shouting. tree →
• The magnifying glass magnified the tiny letters. tree →
• «My soul magnifies the Lord,» sang the choir. tree →
• "Look in this glass, Gerda," said he; and she saw how every flake of snow was magnified, and looked like a beautiful flower or a glittering star. tree →

Note

Spelling: magnify → magnified, magnifies (y → i). Noun: magnification. In maths and science, «magnified × 20» means 20 times bigger in length; to find the real size, divide the image size by the magnification.

In Jewish tradition

To magnify is to make great. The prophets use it for proud boasting, as when Moab or Israel "magnified themselves against the LORD," and Chronicles says God "magnified" Solomon, making him very great.

Interpretation. Tradition reads boasting against God as the sin of pride that brings downfall, and God's magnifying of a king as a gift that comes from Him alone.

Examples

• And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD. (Prophets JER.48.42, JPS 1917) tree →
• And ye have magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard it. (Prophets EZK.35.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• AND SOLOMON the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. (Writings 2CH.1.1, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Spelling: magnify → magnified, magnifies (y → i). Noun: magnification. In maths and science, «magnified × 20» means 20 times bigger in length; to find the real size, divide the image size by the magnification.