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
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American
-en
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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:
Three of the additional bedrooms also include en suite bathrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
More U.S. warships are en route, carrying thousands of Marines.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
American media meanwhile reports that the defeated candidate is en route to the US.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
By creating more demand for new homes, he said, the hope is that builders will respond en masse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
Farmer and Jim continued to share results with the Peruvian TB doctors, who began to acknowledge Socios en Salud’s successes.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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
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
The praise to which he was justly entitled not reaching him EN MASSE, he looked upon isolated commendation as almost wounding.
From Life of Chopin by Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker Cook
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
Ten years ago, he en- deavored to explain telepathic phenomena as being due to a sixth sense, a view in which Mrs. Sedgwick concurred.
From Time Magazine Archive
Poreda, a handsome, over-confident Pole, came out en- thusiastically for the first round.
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
Infinitive Mood.—The -en of the infinitive is frequently dropped, without even a final -e to mark its omission.
From Early English Alliterative Poems in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century by Richard Morris
Infinitives end commonly in -en or -e, as riden, 26, y-lere; also in -n, as don, 117, leyn, 718; and even in -o, as flo, 612, slo, 1364.
From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown
But the terminations which are used in the most confused manner of all are -en, -yne, and -ing or -yng.
From Lancelot of the Laik A Scottish Metrical Romance by Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat
According to the effect.—The syllable -en in the word whiten changes the noun white into a verb.
From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
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