intensive English · revision 10323

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=mid-15th century|origins=fro intensif|origins=la-med intensivus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɪnˈtɛnsɪv/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is late Middle English, [[bor|fro|intensif]], with Medieval Latin intēnsīvus,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) from Latin intēns-, past participle stem of intendere, to turn one's attention, strain, stretch (see [[intend]], [[intense]]).^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Intense, fervent, great: the mid-15th century in Etymonline;^(Etymonline) the OED's first quotation for this sense, now obsolete, is from 1526.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Strained, earnest, is from 1605,^(OED 1989) and relating to intensity or degree from 1604.^(OED 1989) The grammatical sense, expressing intensity, is from about 1600 (1608 in the OED),^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and the noun, a word that gives emphasis, from 1813.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) In economics, methods of cultivation or fishing that raise the yield of a given area are intensive from 1832,^(OED 1989) and the suffix use in ''labour-intensive'' and ''capital-intensive'' is from 1957.^(OED 1989) ''Intensive care'' is attested from 1958.^(Etymonline) Intensitive is a malformation.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * mid-15th century – intense.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1608 – intensifying (grammar).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1813 – the noun.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1832 – intensive cultivation.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1957 – labour-intensive.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1958 – intensive care.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Involving great effort or concentrated use of resources, often in a short time: ''an intensive course''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Of farming, increasing the yield of a fixed area by using more labour or capital.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Using a large amount of a factor, as in ''labour-intensive''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(grammar)'' Giving force or emphasis.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(grammar)'' A word, such as ''extremely'', that gives emphasis.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[intensively]]

+ * [[intensiveness]]

+ * [[unintensive]]

+ * [[capital-intensive]]

+ * [[labor-intensive]]

+ * [[intensive care]]

+ * [[intensive care unit]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[intend]]

+ * [[intense]]

+ * [[intensify]]

+ * [[intensity]]

+ * [[intent]]

+ * [[tense]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}