reddens

Reddens is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb redden. The core meaning is to cause to become red or to become red. It is used for color changes produced by heat, light, emotion, or oxidation, and it can function in both transitive and intransitive constructions.

As a transitive verb, reddens takes a direct object: for example, "The sun reddens the rocks at dusk" or "Heat reddens the skin." As an intransitive verb, it describes a subject changing color: "Her cheeks redden when she laughs." The form follows the regular pattern of modern English verbs: the base form is redden, the past tense is reddened, the present participle is reddening, and the third-person singular present is reddens.

Etymology: redden is formed by adding the -en suffix to the adjective red, a common way in English to create verbs meaning "to make X." The term is widely used in descriptive writing to note color changes in natural scenes, human skin, fruit ripening, or objects exposed to heat or light.

See also: red, redness, reddening, blush, flush, color terms.