enceinte

¹

[ en-seynt, ahn-sant; French ahn-sant ]

adjective

1. pregnant; with child.

enceinte

²

[ en-seynt, ahn-sant; French ahn-sant ]

noun

, plural en·ceintes [en-, seynts, en-, sants, ah, n, -, sant].

1. a wall or enclosure, as of a fortified place.
2. the place enclosed.

enceinte

¹

/ ɑ̃sɛ̃t; ɒnˈsænt /

adjective

1. another word for pregnant

enceinte

²

/ ɑ̃sɛ̃t; ɒnˈsænt /

noun

1. a boundary wall enclosing a defended area
2. the area enclosed

Word History and Origins

Origin of enceinte¹

1590–1600; < Middle French < Late Latin incincta, perhaps literally “ungirded,” equivalent to Latin in- in- ³ + cincta, feminine of cinctus, past participle of cingere to belt, gird, surround

Origin of enceinte²

1700–10; < French: enclosure, also girding fence or rampart < Latin incincta, noun use of feminine of incinctus girded in (past participle of incingere ), equivalent to in- in- ² + cing- gird + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of enceinte¹

C17: from French, from Latin inciēns pregnant; related to Greek enkuos, from kuein to be pregnant

Origin of enceinte²

C18: from French: enclosure, from enceindre to encompass, from Latin incingere , from cingere to gird

Example Sentences

Its remains include an identifying tell mound, at the northern end of the site, a polygonal inner wall circuit, and a large outer defensive wall, or enceinte.

From Science Daily

No other Anglo-French keep in Ireland had such an extensive enceinte.

From Project Gutenberg

The town is composed of stone-built houses of several storeys, and is surrounded, except on the sea face, by a fortified enceinte.

From Project Gutenberg

And at such times I can imagine that the roomy enceinte, and those long lines of buildings, may be cheerful enough.

From Project Gutenberg

In that confession he owned to have violated the person of Mary, and that she became enceinte; that she miscarried, and immediately took measures to rid herself of him.

From Project Gutenberg