en
noun
the letter N, n.
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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:
BBC News understands four copies of the Dutch language edition were taken from a truck while it was en route from the Dutch publisher's printers to their warehouse.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
It’s unheard of, an abuse of power, and demoralizing to make senior leadership submit to testing en masse.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Investors pulled back en masse from the precious metal in the first half of the year, with 234,000 ounces pulled from exchange-traded funds tracking platinum in the second quarter alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The newly reimagined spaces include an en suite den, a “doll-house-like library” filled with first-edition books, the window-filled great room, and a “fish bowl” office connected to the primary suite.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
At the corner of Bos en Hoven Straat, I leaned my bike against a lamppost and stood panting, my heart throbbing in my throat.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Erin Marshall, a US interior designer, actually specialises in EN renovations.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 21, 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
In June, French conglomerate Bouygues SA EN 0.32 % rebuffed Mr. Drahi’s offer to buy its telecom unit for €10 billion, or about $11 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2015
EN ROUTE Mr. Green uploads photographs to his website, imjustwalking.com.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2012
To "come upon us EN NAVETTE," suddenly "like a shuttle" from the other side of the web, became an established phrase among the French concerned in these unfortunate matters.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 18 by Thomas Carlyle
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
In en- gineering innovations Westinghouse has kept in stride with Otis by matching Otis' double-decker elevators in Manhattan's Cities Service Building with a system for running two elevators in the same shaft.
From Time Magazine Archive
In 1886 the big packing-house strike broke out in Chicago and Adam’s regiment en- trained, but the strike was settled before they were needed.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
All three have names that end in -en, which may or may not be relevant.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 13, 2021
No ris- --ll call on you Thursday at four. -en.
From The Crevice by Will Grefé
The notion of diminution, if indeed that be the notion originally conveyed, lies not in the -en, but in the vowel.
From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
In English this -en is often wanting, as found, bound; the word bounden being antiquated.
From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
To apply an expression of Mr. Cobbet's, en = a, and -en = the, are the same combination of letters, but not the same word.
From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
