magnify

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French magnifier, from Latin magnificāre, from magnificus.

verb

1. (transitive) To praise, glorify (someone or something, especially God).
2. (transitive) To make (something) larger or more important.
   But through the oligopoly, charcoal fuel proliferated throughout London's trades and industries. By the 1200s, brewers and bakers, tilemakers, glassblowers, pottery producers, and a range of other craftsmen all became hour-to-hour consumers of charcoal. This only magnified the indispensable nature of the oligopolists. 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion
3. (transitive) To make (someone or something) appear greater or more important than it is; to intensify, exaggerate.
4. (transitive) To make (something) appear larger by means of a lens, magnifying glass, telescope etc.
   Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. 2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist
5. (intransitive, slang, obsolete) To have effect; to be of importance or significance.