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enemy

 - 3 dictionary results

en⋅e⋅my

  [en-uh-mee] noun, plural -mies, adjective
Use enemy in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.
2. an armed foe; an opposing military force: The army attacked the enemy at dawn.
3. a hostile nation or state.
4. a citizen of such a state.
5. enemies, persons, nations, etc., that are hostile to one another: Let's make up and stop being enemies.
6. something harmful or prejudical: His unbridled ambition is his worst enemy.
7. the Enemy, the Devil; Satan.
–adjective
8. belonging to a hostile power or to any of its nationals: enemy property.
9. Obsolete. inimical; ill-disposed.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME enemi < AF, OF < L inimicus unfriendly, equiv. to in- in- 3 + amicus friendly, friend; see amicable

Usage note:
See collective noun.

Synonyms:
1. antagonist. Enemy, foe refer to a dangerous public or personal adversary. Enemy emphasizes the idea of hostility: to overcome the enemy; a bitter enemy. Foe, a more literary word, may be used interchangeably with enemy, but emphasizes somewhat more the danger to be feared from such a one: deadly foe; arch foe of humankind (the Devil).

Antonyms:
1. friend. 2. ally.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To enemy
en·e·my   (ěn'ə-mē)   
n.   pl. en·e·mies

  1. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.

    1. A hostile power or force, such as a nation.

    2. A member or unit of such a force.

  3. A group of foes or hostile forces. See Usage Note at collective noun.

  4. Something destructive or injurious in its effects: "Art hath an enemy called Ignorance" (Ben Jonson).

adj.  Of, relating to, or being a hostile power or force.

[Middle English enemi, from Old French, from Latin inimīcus : in-, not; see in-1 + amīcus, friend.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote one who is hostile to or opposes the purposes or interests of another: betrayed by enemies; a foe of fascism; a political opponent.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

enemy 
c.1225, from O.Fr. enemi, from L. inimicus, from in- "not" + amicus "friend." Most words for "personal enemy" cover also "enemy in war," but certain languages have special terms for the latter, e.g. Gk. polemioi (distinct from ekhthroi), L. hostis, originally "stranger" (distinct from inimicus), Rus. neprijatel' (distinct from vrag). Rus. vrag (O.C.S. vragu) is cognate with Lith. vargas "misery" (see urge), and probably is related to P.Gmc. *wargoz, source of O.N. vargr "outlaw," hence "wolf;" Icel. vargur "fox," O.E. wearg "criminal, felon;" which likely were the inspirations for J.R.R. Tolkien's warg "a kind of large ferocious wolf" in "The Hobbit" (1937) and "Lord of the Rings."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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