enrijecer

Senses

1. 1.

   to stiffen, to harden

   to make or become rigid, stiff, or hard

2. 2.

   to toughen

   to make stricter or more severe (rules, policies, attitudes)

3. 3.

   to tense up

   to become tense or rigid (muscles, body)

Examples

• "O frio enrijeceu os músculos do atleta."

  The cold stiffened the athlete's muscles.

• "O governo enrijeceu as regras de controle de fronteira."

  The government toughened border control rules.

• "Ela enrijeceu o corpo ao ouvir o barulho estranho."

  She tensed up her body upon hearing the strange noise.

Usage

Common in both physical and figurative contexts. Can be used reflexively (enrijecer-se) to mean "to stiffen up" or "to become rigid." Often collocates with músculos, corpo, regras, medidas, and postura. Regular -er verb conjugation.