straighten

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

STRAIGHTEN, verb transitive 1. To make straight; to reduce from a crooked to a straight form. 2. To make narrow, tense or close; to tighten. 3. To reduce to difficulties or distress.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

More founding-era words: liberty · virtue · republic · justice · providence · commerce · militia · arms · prudence · establishment · religion · usurpation · tyranny · citizen · unalienable · sovereign