en
noun
the letter N, n.
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en
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EN
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en-
en-a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from French and productive in English on this model, forming verbs with the general sense “to cause (a person or thing) to be in” the place, condition, or state named by the stem; more specifically, “to confine in or place on” (enshrine; enthrone; entomb ); “to cause to be in” (enslave; entrust; enrich; encourage; endear ); “to restrict” in the manner named by the stem, typically with the additional sense “on all sides, completely” (enwind; encircle; enclose; entwine ). This prefix is also attached to verbs in order to make them transitive, or to give them a transitive marker if they are already transitive (enkindle; enliven; enshield; enface ).
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-en
-ena suffix formerly used to form transitive and intransitive verbs from adjectives (fasten; harden; sweeten ), or from nouns (heighten; lengthen; strengthen ).
en
1 American
[en]
/ ɛn /
noun
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the letter N, n.
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Also called nut. Printing. half of the width of an em.
adjective
EN
2
American
abbreviation
Biology, Ecology.
en-
3
American
en-
4
American
-en
5
American
-en
6
American
-en
7
American
-en
8
American
-en
9
American
en-
1
British
prefix
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(from nouns)
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put in or on
entomb
enthrone
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go on or into
enplane
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surround or cover with
enmesh
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furnish with
empower
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(from adjectives and nouns) cause to be in a certain condition
enable
encourage
enrich
enslave
EN
2
British
abbreviation
-
enrolled nurse
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English Nature
-en
3
British
suffix
-en
4
British
suffix
en-
5
British
prefix
en
6
British
/ ɛn /
noun
Etymology
Origin of en1
First recorded in 1785–95
Origin of en-3
Middle English < Old French < Latin in- in- 2
Origin of en-4
From Greek (often through Latin ); cognate with in- 1, in- 2
Origin of -en5
Middle English, Old English -n- (as in Middle English fastnen, Old English fǣstnian “to make fast, fasten”); cognate with -n- of like verbs in other Germanic languages ( Old Norse fastna )
Origin of -en6
Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old High German -īn, Gothic -eins, Latin -īnus; see -ine 1
Origin of -en7
Middle English, Old English; cognate with German -en, Old Norse -inn
Origin of -en8
Middle English; Old English -an, case ending of n-stem nouns, as in naman oblique singular, and nominative and accusative plural of nama “name”; akin to n-stem forms in other Indo-European languages, as in Latin nōmen, nōmin- “name”
Origin of -en9
Middle English, Old English, from neuter of -en 2
Vocabulary lists containing en
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It named two flights already en route to the Italian capital: a Finnair aircraft set to arrive from Helsinki and a second from Dublin operated by Aer Lingus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
The pair switched places en route and the car crashed off the carriageway within eight seconds of Batool taking the wheel.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
By 11 p.m. the decision had been reversed, with the court setting aside its previous ruling while it reviewed the case with a larger en banc panel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Three of the additional bedrooms also include en suite bathrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
He cried out, “En garde, Gingersnipes! The phrase is en garde!”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Restaurant It’s a tie between EN Japanese Brasserie and Blue Ribbon in New York, which I guess you’d call high-level comfort food.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 19, 2019
At EN, a Japanese brasserie in the West Village, a waiter presented him with a small wooden box containing a Shout stain-remover towelette, a white cloth napkin, and a white paper napkin.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 10, 2018
PARIS— Bouygues SA, EN 4.07 % the French construction-to-media conglomerate, has taken a clear step toward choosing a successor to Chairman and Chief Executive Martin Bouygues by naming two more deputy CEOs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2016
EN ROUTE Mr. Green uploads photographs to his website, imjustwalking.com.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2012
A few days before the set time John received an urgent summons to Melbourne, and went on ahead, leaving Mahony suspecting him of a dodge to avoid travelling EN FAMILLE.
From Australia Felix by Henry Handel Richardson
We en- courage states to continue to fight this public men- ace and pledge our commitment to children’s safety and well-being.
From Time ● Jul. 18, 2016
He en- tered the house shouting, “Hey, where are you?”
From MSNBC ● Oct. 22, 2014
The week concluded with a particularly pleasant chore: mingling amiably with the 3,500 en- tering freshmen at Liberty University, his proudest creation.
From Time Magazine Archive
The en- counters were so catastrophic that bits of the earth, as well as chunks of the intruder, were hurled into space and then fell back.
From Time Magazine Archive
The forms en- and em- are of French origin.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
All three have names that end in -en, which may or may not be relevant.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 13, 2021
Those in -em, -en generally retain the e in the dative plural.
From A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Joseph Wright
Robert of Brunne, in his “Handlyng Synne,” often employs it instead of -en, but only for the sake of the rhyme.
From Early English Alliterative Poems in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century by Richard Morris
No ris- --ll call on you Thursday at four. -en.
From The Crevice by Will Grefé
From 1803 to 1808, all converts were drawn from twelve places having recognizable names, ending in -an, -en, -in, or -un, characteristic Costanoan word endings.
From The Aboriginal Population of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California by Sherburne Friend Cook
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