freshen

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Freshened p. pr. & vb. n. Freshening 1. To make fresh; to separate, as water, from saline ingredients; to make less salty; as, to freshen water, fish, or flesh. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To refresh; to revive. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) To relieve, as a rope, by change of place where friction wears it; or to renew, as the material used to prevent chafing; as, to freshen a hawse. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

To freshen ballast (Naut.), to shift Or restore it. --
To freshen the hawse, to pay out a little more cable, so as to bring the chafe on another part. --
To freshen the way, to increase the speed of a vessel. Ham. Nav. Encyc. [ 1913 Webster ]