en

¹ American  

[en] / ɛn /

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 ² American  

abbreviation

Biology, Ecology.

1. endangered.

---

en- ³ 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 ).

---

en- ⁴ American  

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

   energy; enthusiasm.

---

-en ⁵ American  

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

---

-en ⁶ American  

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

   ashen; golden; oaken.

---

-en ⁷ American  

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

   taken; proven.

---

-en ⁸ American  

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

   brethren; children; oxen.

---

-en ⁹ American  

1. a diminutive suffix.

   kitten; maiden.

---

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

---

EN ² British  

abbreviation

1. enrolled nurse

2. English Nature

---

-en ³ British  

suffix

1. cause to be; become; cause to have

   blacken

   heighten

---

-en ⁴ British  

suffix

1. of; made of; resembling

   ashen

   earthen

   wooden

---

en- ⁵ British  

prefix

1. in; into; inside

   endemic

---

en ⁶ British  

/ ɛn /

noun

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

---

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; -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

Example Sentences

“What is different this time is how many, and not en masse. It’s drip, drip, drip,” said Duane Bratt, a political-science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Elected officials, labor unions and other groups that had endorsed Swalwell abandoned him en masse after the allegations against him were publicized.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The Nasdaq Composite got a boost from an old friend en route to its ninth-consecutive gain.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Boasts a very similar profile to 2023 winner Corach Rambler, who won the same Cheltenham race en route to success here and he has a great chance of landing the same double.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Nearly two years ago, a doctor from the Children’s Hospital had called Socios en Salud and told Bayona, “We have a child here you have to help us with.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French