Enlargar

Enlargar is a verb found in some Romance-language varieties, most notably in certain dialects of Spanish and Portuguese. Its core sense relates to increasing size or extent, with a particular emphasis on lengthening or extending something, rather than merely widening. Because usage varies by region and historical period, enlargar is not always considered standard in modern Spanish, where alargar or ampliar are more common.

In Spanish, enlargar tends to be less frequent in contemporary usage and may be encountered in regional, archaic, or literary contexts. When used, it can convey the idea of making something longer in physical length, or extending a timeline or sequence in a broad, figurative sense. However, many speakers would opt for alargar (to lengthen or widen) or ampliar (to enlarge) to express these notions.

In Portuguese, enlargar is also relatively rare in everyday speech, with alargar or ampliar serving as the standard terms for widening or lengthening. When enlargar appears, it typically shares the general meaning of extending in length or reach, and may appear in historical or regional texts.

Etymology traces enlargar to the prefix en- plus a root related to largo (long), with a semantic field tied to length, extent, and dimension. Related verbs in the same family include alargar, ampliar, and ensanchar, which cover broader notions of increasing size or capacity.

See also: alargar, ampliar, ensanchar, extender.