Talk:liven

From RFV

This entry has survived Wiktionary's verification process.

Please do not re-nominate for verification without comprehensive reasons for doing so.

---

The COED states that liven only occurs as “liven something up” or “liven up”, so perhaps this verb should be at liven up. † Raifʻhār Doremítzwr 13:26, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I agree. I cannot find any examples of 'liven' without 'up'. Enliven is another posibility. Algrif 14:54, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, enliven exists. Shall I move the entry to liven up? † Raifʻhār Doremítzwr 15:33, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

I'd first check writings of Jonson, Shakespeare, Milton, & co. to see whether there's an obsolete usage of liven (later today, I can do some of this rather easily as I have a Shakespeare concordance and electronic copies of Paradise Lost and P. Regained), but the current content and page can certainly be moved. --EncycloPetey 17:33, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

I found one (relatively recent, too) usage of liven without up:

• 1905: The American Historical Review, published by 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.

Liven here may, however, be a substitute for enliven, given the context. — Beobach972 04:18, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Another :

• 1979: The American School Board Journal, volume 166, № 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.

• 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.

One more, not quotable :

• 1987: Best Sellers, page 418; Google Books insists that the author is 'University of Scranton, Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation, University of Scranton. Library'

  There is quotation aplenty to liven the telling.

— Beobach972 04:45, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I also found a few quotations for inliven (an alternative spelling of enliven). — Beobach972 04:50, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I suggest that we duplicate the content of liven at liven up and then place a usage note at liven stating that it is now moderately rare to find it without the up. — Beobach972 04:50, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

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

  ... and to invigorate and liven the spirits.

It does not seem to be an issue of liven (sans up) being archaic or at all related to the progression of time, as many of these are recent publications. — Beobach972 04:53, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Are there any differences in meaning between liven, liven up, and enliven / inliven? † Raifʻhār Doremítzwr 12:57, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Probably not substantial differences in meaning, but there are in usage. It seems liven is strictly transitive, whereas liven up may be either transitive or intransitive. --EncycloPetey 18:37, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it seems liven is never intransitive (although I shall look into this), but the definition for the transitive sense of liven up should be identical to the definition of liven. This, in turn, is not identical to enliven, but is similar. — Beobach972 03:24, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

It seems to have an intransitive sense after all, and even that does not seem dated, as there are recent and dated examples (well...) :

• 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.

EDIT: why did I think this was intransitive?! — Beobach972 02:29, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

 

• 1997: David Nevin, 1812

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

EDIT: why did I think this was intransitive?! — Beobach972 02:29, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

 

• 2001, Nick Tosches, Cut Numbers: A Novel

  “It was all those suspendeds since the time before that fucked me.” [sic] Then he livened, and he actually did manage to smile. “It was Secaucus, ...

 

• 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.

— Beobach972 04:24, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

From what I've seen, I estimate that liven up (in both transitive and intransitive senses) outnumbers liven about 8 to 1. — Beobach972 04:24, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

• Huh? Clearly in widespread use, not as the spelling "enliven," not with "up." [1]. Once again, I find myself wondering what they are thinking across the pond, in Oxford. Certainly "up" is a common collocation, but it doesn't preclude the normal use of a word. By the way, please confer {{nosecondary}} and don't nominate stuff based only on the OED's say-so. Note also they seemed to have completely missed "liven it up," etc. --Connel MacKenzie 19:03, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

As far as I can see the problem is now resolved. We have now got evidence for the use of liven as a simple verb. There is definite evidence for liven up. Eg liven it up. When John arrived, the party really livened up. Neither of which could be normally rephrased with either liven nor enliven. And we have enliven already correctly entered. Can we just make the required entries and move on? Algrif 14:35, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

liven has been verified. If anyone wants to add liven up as a separate collocation, that's a separate issue. Widsith 11:55, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

2. make something more intense

2. to make something more attractive or interesting, e.g. by brightening its color or intensifying its flavor.
I livened up the sauce with some lemon juice

--Backinstadiums (talk) 18:32, 21 September 2020 (UTC)