en-

¹

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 ).

-en

²

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

en-

³

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

   energy; enthusiasm.

-en

⁴

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

   ashen; golden; oaken.

-en

⁵

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

   taken; proven.

-en

⁶

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

   brethren; children; oxen.

-en

⁷

1. a diminutive suffix.

   kitten; maiden.

en

⁸

[en]

noun

1. the letter N, n.

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

adjective

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

   en quad; en dash.

EN

⁹

abbreviation

Biology, Ecology.

1. endangered.

en-

¹

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

EN

²

abbreviation

1. enrolled nurse

2. English Nature

-en

³

suffix

1. cause to be; become; cause to have

   blacken

   heighten

-en

⁴

suffix

1. of; made of; resembling

   ashen

   earthen

   wooden

en-

⁵

prefix

1. in; into; inside

   endemic

en

⁶

/ ɛn /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of en-¹

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

Origin of en-²

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 en-⁴

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

Origin of en-⁵

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

Origin of en-⁶

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 en-⁷

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

Origin of en-⁸

First recorded in 1785–95

Word History and Origins

Origin of en-¹

via Old French from Latin in- _in- ²

Origin of en-²

Old English -n-, as in fæst-n-ian to fasten, of common Germanic origin; compare Icelandic fastna

Origin of en-³

Old English -en; related to Gothic -eins, Latin -īnus _-ine ¹

Origin of en-⁴

from Greek (often via Latin); compare _in- ¹ , _in- ²

Example Sentences

Philadelphia wound up giving up 18 unanswered points en route to a 21-17 loss, a collapse that was both stunning, yet somehow not entirely surprising.

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The European twosome would go on to birdie seven of the first 10 holes en route to a 3-up win.

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Written in 1825 to celebrate the coronation of the French king Charles X, it is a comic pageant with the wispiest of plots: An international group of aristocrats is stuck in a spa hotel en route to the coronation without onward transportation.

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Her clothes have been lost en route, and she furiously rejected all proffered substitutes.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said Tuesday morning that he was en route to the city, fueling speculation that federal action could be imminent.

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