fortalecido

Fortalecido is the past participle of the verbs fortalecer in Spanish and Portuguese, meaning to strengthen or to fortify. As an adjective, it translates as "strengthened" or "fortified" and agrees in gender and number (masculine: fortalececido/fortalecido; feminine: fortalecida/fortalecida; plurals: fortalecidos/fortalecidas). In use, it describes something that has been made stronger or more robust, such as a defense, a system, an economy, or a person’s health.

In Spanish, examples include: “La economía quedó fortalecida tras las reformas” and “El ejército quedó fortalecido.” In Portuguese, equivalents include: “A defesa ficou fortalecida” and “O sistema de saúde ficou fortalececido.” The term is commonly employed in contexts of resilience, institutional capacity, or structural improvement.

Etymology and related terms: fortalecer derives from a root related to fortis, meaning strong, and the Romance suffix -ecer, giving the sense of becoming strong. Related lexical forms include fortaleza (fortress), fortificación or fortificação (fortification), and fortalecimiento or fortalecimento (the process of becoming stronger). A common distinction in usage is that alimentos fortificados (not fortalecidos) refer to fortified foods enriched with vitamins or minerals.

Notes on nuance: fortalecer/fortalecerse generally imply internal improvement or reinforcement, while fortificar often connotes external reinforcement or defense-building. In everyday language, fortalecerse can describe personal or organizational growth, whereas fortificar is more likely used for physical fortification or security measures.

See also: fortaleza, fortificación/fortificação, fortalecimiento/fortalecimento.