Date:    Sun, 28 Jun 1998 15:16:48 EDT
<br>From:    Ron Butters <RonButters[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
<br>Subject: Early GROWS 'cause to increase/develop'
<br>
<br>In a message dated 6/28/98 3:21:50 AM, Don Lance wrote:
<br>
<br><< People have recently started using the verb
<br>'grow' in a new sense -- "to cause growth, or an increase in growth rate,
<br>to occur.">>
<br>
<br>Recently?????
<br>
<br>Check out the OED s.v. GROW 14d ('to cause to develop into') which gives an
<br>1844 cite ("It requires a length of time to grow the boys . . . into men");
<br>14e ('to cause to increase,  to enlarge') is listed as obsolete, but the
<br>innovative sense that Don mentions is found in Caxton ("When David had reigned
<br>vii year in Ebron he grewe and amended moche this city"--481).
<br>
<br>Am I the only person who vaguely remembers having had this conversation a
<br>number of years ago, specifically in the context of politicians discussing
<br>plans to "grow the economy"? My own vague memory is that GROW in this sense
<br>has been around for a generation (and commented on before, perhaps, e.g., in
<br>"Among the New Words"). Has anyone checked an unabridged American dictionary
<br>for this? Checked the AMERICAN SPEECH indexes for ATNW commentary?
<br>