en-

¹ American  

1. 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 ² American  

1. a suffix formerly used to form transitive and intransitive verbs from adjectives (fasten; harden; sweeten ), or from nouns (heighten; lengthen; strengthen ).

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en- ³ American  

1. a prefix meaning “within, in,” occurring in loanwords from Greek.

   energy; enthusiasm.

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-en ⁴ American  

1. a suffix used to form adjectives of source or material from nouns.

   ashen; golden; oaken.

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-en ⁵ American  

1. a suffix used to mark the past participle in many strong and some weak verbs.

   taken; proven.

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-en ⁶ American  

1. a suffix used in forming the plural of some nouns.

   brethren; children; oxen.

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-en ⁷ American  

1. a diminutive suffix.

   kitten; maiden.

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en ⁸ American  

[en] / ɛn /

noun

1. the letter N, n.

2. Also called nut.  Printing. half of the width of an em.

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adjective

1. Printing. having the area of an en quad or the length of an en.

   en quad; en dash.

EN ⁹ American  

abbreviation

Biology, Ecology.

1. endangered.

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en- ¹ British  

prefix

1. (from nouns)

   1. put in or on

      entomb

      enthrone

   2. go on or into

      enplane

   3. surround or cover with

      enmesh

   4. furnish with

      empower

2. (from adjectives and nouns) cause to be in a certain condition

   enable

   encourage

   enrich

   enslave

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EN ² British  

abbreviation

1. enrolled nurse

2. English Nature

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-en ³ British  

suffix

1. cause to be; become; cause to have

   blacken

   heighten

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-en ⁴ British  

suffix

1. of; made of; resembling

   ashen

   earthen

   wooden

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en- ⁵ British  

prefix

1. in; into; inside

   endemic

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en ⁶ British  

/ ɛn /

noun

1. Also called: nut.  printing a unit of measurement, half the width of an em See also ennage

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Etymology

Origin of en-¹

Middle English < Old French < Latin in- in- ²

Origin of -en²

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 en-³

From Greek (often through Latin ); cognate with in- ¹, in- ²

Origin of -en⁴

Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old High German -īn, Gothic -eins, Latin -īnus; -ine ¹

Origin of -en⁵

Middle English, Old English; cognate with German -en, Old Norse -inn

Origin of -en⁶

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 -en⁷

Middle English, Old English, from neuter of -en ²

Origin of en⁸

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

Most companies aren’t cutting workers en masse, but they also aren’t hiring at a brisk pace owing to a variety of concerns, including uncertainty over how tariffs will affect their bottom lines.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gomez resonated with the spectral 1982 ballad “El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes,” as originally recorded by the O.G. sad girl en español, Jeanette.

From Los Angeles Times

A key track off Laferte’s noirish “Femme Fatale,” “Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa” takes off with the quiet longing of bossa nova, boils into unhinged bolero territory, then incorporates the icy electro loops of trip-hop icons Portishead.

From Los Angeles Times

This article first appeared in Spanish via Times en Español.

From Los Angeles Times

Most companies aren’t laying off workers en masse.

From The Wall Street Journal