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Fortify vs Bolster - What's the difference?

fortify | bolster |

Bolster is a synonym of fortify.



As verbs the difference between fortify and bolster

is that fortify is to increase the defenses of; to strengthen and secure by military works; to render defensible against an attack by hostile forces while bolster is to brace, reinforce, secure, or support.

As a noun bolster is

a large cushion or pillow.

fortify

English

Verb

(en-verb)
  • To increase the defenses of; to strengthen and secure by military works; to render defensible against an attack by hostile forces.
  • To impart strength or vigor to.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • Pride came to the aid of fancy, and both combined to fortify his resolution.
  • *
  • To increase the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients.
  • * 1979 , Kiplinger's Personal Finance (volume 33, number 7, July 1979, page 47)
    • Compare the nutrition information label of a regular ready-to-eat fortified cereal with that of a presweetened brand and you'll note that, although the sweetened one's sugar content is higher, the fortification is virtually identical.

    Related terms

    * fort * fortification * fortress

    bolster

    English

    Alternative forms

    * * (Scotland)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A large cushion or pillow.
  • * Shakespeare
    • And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster , / This way the coverlet, another way the sheets.
  • A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress.
  • * John Gay
    • This arm shall be a bolster for thy head.
  • A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons which give the front wheels enough clearance to turn.
  • A short, horizontal, structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam. Sometimes also called a pillow or cross-head (Australian English).
  • The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
  • The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle.
  • The metallic end of a pocketknife handle.
  • (label) The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
  • A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.

    • Synonyms

    * Dutch wife

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To brace, reinforce, secure, or support.

    • Anagrams

    * ----