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en-

Origin

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).

Also, before labial consonants, em-¹.

Compare be-, in-².

Origin:
Middle English < Old French < Latin in- in-²

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En- is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

a prefix meaning “within, in,” occurring in loanwords from Greek: energy; enthusiasm.

Also, before labial consonants, em-².

Origin:
< Greek (often through L); cognate with in-¹, in-²

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To en-

Collins

World English Dictionary

en- or em-¹

—*prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives*
1.	(from nouns)
	a. put in or on: entomb; enthrone
	b. go on or into: enplane
	c. surround or cover with: enmesh
	d. furnish with: empower
2.	(from adjectives and nouns) cause to be in a certain condition: enable; encourage; enrich; enslave

[via Old French from Latin in-in-²]

em- or em-¹

—*prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives*

[via Old French from Latin in-in-²]

en- or em-²

—*prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives*
	in; into; inside: endemic

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

em- or em-²

—*prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives*

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

en-

prefix meaning "cause to be, make" (endear); "put in or on" (encircle); from O.Fr. en-, from L. in- "in, into." Also used as an intensive (enclose). Spelling variants in O.Fr. brought over into M.E. account for parallels such as assure/insure/ensure. Many words beginning with en- in Mod.Eng. are transparent

EXPAND

(enforce, etc.) and etymologies can be found in listings for their stems. Words listed here include those whose unprefixed form is not an obvious word in Eng. (encroach) or whose meaning has drifted significantly (engrain).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

en- ² or em-
pref.
In; into; within: enzootic.

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"Living en famille provides the strongest motives for rudeness combined with the maximum opportunity for displaying it."

-Quentin Crisp

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