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 for

, Biology, Ecology.

1. endangered ( def 3 ).

-en

¹

suffix forming verbs

1. cause to be; become; cause to have

   heighten

   blacken

en-

²

prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives

1. in; into; inside

   endemic

-en

³

suffix forming adjectives

1. of; made of; resembling

   wooden

   ashen

   earthen

EN

⁴

abbreviation for

1. enrolled nurse
2. English Nature

en-

⁵

prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives

1. from nouns
   1. put in or on

      enthrone

      entomb

   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

   enrich

   enslave

   encourage

en

⁶

/ ɛn /

noun

1. printing a unit of measurement, half the width of an em Also callednut 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

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

Origin of en-²

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

Origin of en-³

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

Origin of en-⁴

via Old French from Latin in- in- ²

Example Sentences

Ms Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One en route to Angola: "He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice."

From BBC

While the incoming Trump administration is laying the groundwork to change the rules to be able to fire civil servants en masse, Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, told Salon that he expects them to try making an example of a few key targets first.

From Salon

A note from her supervisor had alerted Laxamana that about 130 samples of cow milk and other dairy products were en route — a large but manageable workload.

From Los Angeles Times

The meditative sleep stories that transport the listener to far-flung destinations en route to the Land of Nod are accompanied by ambient music and narrated by host Tom Jones, who first began “Get Sleepy” as a local radio show in southern England.

From New York Times

In the second quarter, Brown caught a short third-down pass and broke three tackles en route to a 27-yard gain.

From Los Angeles Times