en

1 of 5

noun

ˈen

: the width of a piece of type half the width of an em

: the letter n

en-

2 of 5

prefix (1)

variants or less commonly em-

in,

also en;

sometimes only in,

is shown when is infrequent en

: put into or onto

enthrone

: cover with

enshroud

: go into or onto

enplane

—in verbs formed from nouns

: cause to be

enslave

—in verbs formed from adjectives or nouns

: provide with

empower

—in verbs formed from nouns

: so as to cover

enwrap

: thoroughly

entangle

—in verbs formed from verbs

—in all senses usually em- before b, m, or p

en-

3 of 5

prefix (2)

variants or less commonly em-

: in : within

enzootic

—usually em- before b, m, or p

empathy

-en

4 of 5

adjective suffix

variants or less commonly -n

: made of : consisting of

earthen

leathern

-en

5 of 5

verb suffix

: cause to be

sharpen

: cause to have

lengthen

: come to be

steepen

: come to have

lengthen

Word History

Etymology

Prefix (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin in-, im-, from in

Prefix (2)

Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from en in — more at in

Adjective suffix

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German -īn made of, Latin -īnus of or belonging to, Greek -inos made of, of or belonging to

Verb suffix

Middle English -nen, from Old English -nian; akin to Old High German -inōn -en

First Known Use

Noun

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of en was in 1792

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“En.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/en. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

en-

1 of 3 prefix

variants also em-

also occurs in these prefixes although only i,

may be shown as in ",

engage "

: put into or onto

encode

enthrone

: go into or onto

enplane

: cause to be

enable

: provide with

empower

: so as to cover

enwrap

: thoroughly

entangle

—in all senses usually em- before b, m, or p

-en

2 of 3 adjective suffix

ən

variants also -n

: made of : consisting of

earthen

woolen

-en

3 of 3 verb suffix

: become or cause to be

sharpen

: cause or come to have

lengthen

Etymology

Prefix

derived from Latin in- "in, into, put into"

Adjective suffix

Old English -en (adjective suffix)

Verb suffix

Old English -nian (verb suffix)

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en

noun

prefix (1)

prefix (2)

adjective suffix

verb suffix

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near en

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition