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en

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en

  [en]
Use en in a Sentence
–noun
1. the letter N, n.
2. Also called nut. Printing. half of the width of an em.
–adjective
3. Printing. having the area of an en quad or the length of an en: en quad; en dash.
Origin:
1785–95

en-

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).
Also, before labial consonants, em- 1 .
Compare be-, in- 2 .

Origin:
ME < OF < L in- in- 2

en-

2 
a prefix meaning “within, in,” occurring in loanwords from Greek: energy; enthusiasm.
Also, before labial consonants, em- 2 .

Origin:
< Gk (often through L); c. in- 1 , in- 2

-en

1 
a suffix formerly used to form transitive and intransitive verbs from adjectives (fasten; harden; sweeten), or from nouns (heighten; lengthen; strengthen).
Origin:
ME, OE -n- (as in ME fast-n-en, OE fǣst-n-ian to make fast, fasten); c. -n- of like verbs in other Gmc languages (ON fastna)

-en

2 
a suffix used to form adjectives of source or material from nouns: ashen; golden; oaken.
Origin:
ME, OE; c. OHG -īn, Goth -eins, L -īnus; see -ine 1

-en

3 
a suffix used to mark the past participle in many strong and some weak verbs: taken; proven.
Origin:
ME, OE; c. G -en, ON -inn

-en

4 
a suffix used in forming the plural of some nouns: brethren; children; oxen.
Origin:
ME; OE -an, case ending of n-stem nouns, as in naman obl. sing., and nom. and acc. pl. of nama name; akin to n-stem forms in other IE languages, as in L nōmen, nōmin- name

-en

5 
a diminutive suffix: kitten; maiden.
Origin:
ME, OE, from neut. of -en 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To en
en   (ěn)   
n.  

  1. The letter n.

  2. Printing A space equal to half the width of an em.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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 (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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

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

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
en
English
EN

  1. end node

  2. endocardium

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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