"E" Word Origins

encyclopaedia

New Latin

A restored spelling of encyclopedia, borrowed via New Latin encyclopaedia.

encyclopedia

Ancient Greek

From New Latin encyclopaedia, based on Ancient Greek enkyklios paideia, meaning "general education" or literally "education in a circle of knowledge."

end

Old English

From Old English ende, related to German Ende and Dutch einde, all going back to a very old root meaning "front" or "forehead" — the same root behind "anti-."

endanger

Origin

Formed from en- + danger.

endangerment

Origin

Built from endanger plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

endarken

Origin

From en- + darken (see en- (“intensifying prefix”)), modelled on enlighten.

endearing

Origin

From endear ("to make dear") plus the suffix -ing.

endearment

Origin

From endear plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

endeavor

French

From Middle English endeveren, literally "to put oneself in duty" — from in + dever ("duty"), the same root that gives us devoir in French.

endeavour

Origin

The standard British spelling of endeavor.

endemic

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek en- ("in") plus dēmos ("people"), via French endémique — literally "among the people."

endemism

Origin

From endemic + -ism.

ender

Origin

From end plus the agent suffix -er.

endgame

Origin

A compound of end and game.

ending

Old English

From Old English endung, formed from end plus -ing.

endless

Old English

From Old English endelēas, formed from end plus the suffix -less ("without").

endlessly

Origin

From endless plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

endlessness

Origin

From Middle English endelesnesse, from Old English endelēasnes; equivalent to endless + -ness.

endlong

Origin

From Old English andlang ( > along), re-formed by popular etymology in Middle English as end + long; partly from Old Norse cognate endlangr.

endly

Origin

From Middle English endly, endely (“final”), equivalent to end + -ly. Compare Dutch eindelijk (“final”), German endlich (“final”), Middle High German endelīch (“final”).

endo

Origin

The marijuana sense probably comes from the resin-rich bottom ("end") portion of the plant; the bike-trick sense is likely short for "end over end."

endorse

Medieval Latin

From Old French endosser ("to put on the back"), from Latin dorsum ("back") — the same root as "dorsal." The "r" was later reinserted under the influence of Medieval Latin indorsare.

endorsement

Origin

From endorse plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

endow

Origin

From Late Middle English endowen, endouen, enduen, indouen, indw (“to provide with assets, a livelihood, or privileges; to bestow, grant; (figuratively) to favour; to endow”), from Anglo-Norman endouer, from Old French en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + douer (“to endow”) (from Latin dōtāre (present active infinitive of dōtō (“to endow”)); modern French douer). Dōtō is derived from dōs (“dowry; endowment, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- (“to give”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).

endowment

Middle English

From Middle English endowement, from endow plus -ment.

endpoint

English

A compound of end and point.

endue

Origin

From both of the following: * Chiefly sense 1: Late Middle English induen (“to clothe (someone); to assume or take on (an appearance)”), from Latin induere, the present active infinitive of induō (“to put on (clothes, etc.); to assume (a part)”), from indu- (an archaic variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in; within’)) + *uō (“to put on (clothes, etc.)”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ew- (“to put clothes or shoes on”)). * Chiefly sense 3 and sense 4: Late Middle English endeuen, enduen (“to endow; to induct or put (someone into office, etc.); (falconry) of a hawk: to pass food from the crop or gorge into the stomach”), from Old French enduire, induire (modern French enduire), from Latin indūcere, the present active infinitive of indūcō (“to bring or lead in; (by extension) to draw over, cover; (figurative) to bring into, establish, initiate; etc.”), from in- (see above) + dūcō (“to draw, pull; to guide, lead; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull; to lead”)). Sense 2 is from a combination of the above. Doublet of induce.

endurance

Old French

From Old French endurance, from endurer ("to endure"), plus the suffix -ance.

endure

Latin

From Old French endurer, from Latin indūrāre ("to make hard"), the same root as "endurance" and "dure."

endymion

Origin

From Ancient Greek Ἐνδυμίων (Endumíōn).

enema

Ancient Greek

A learned borrowing from Late Latin enema, from Ancient Greek énema ("injection"), from eníēmi ("to send in").

enemy

Latin

From Old French enemi, from Latin inimīcus, literally "not a friend" (in- + amīcus, "friend").

enemyness

Origin

From enemy + -ness.

enemyship

Origin

From enemy + -ship.

energetic

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek energētikós, from energós ("active") — the same root as "energy."

energize

Origin

From energy plus the verb-forming suffix -ize.

energon

Origin

Formed from energy plus the particle-naming suffix -on (as in "proton" or "electron").

energy

Ancient Greek · 1802

From Ancient Greek enérgeia ("activity"), from energós ("active"), from en- ("in") + érgon ("work"). The physics sense was coined by English scientist Thomas Young in 1802.

enervate

Origin

From Latin ēnervātus, past participle of ēnervō (“to weaken”).

enervation

Origin

From Middle French énervation.

enflame

Origin

A variant of inflame; by surface analysis, en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + flame.

enfold

Origin

Alteration of earlier infold, from Middle English infolden, equivalent to en- + fold.

enforce

Late Latin

From Old French enforcier, from Late Latin infortiare, from in- + fortis ("strong") — literally "to make strong."

enforcement

Old French

From Old French enforcement, from enforce plus -ment.

enforcer

Origin

From enforce plus the agent-forming suffix -er.

eng

Old English

Probably from Dutch eng ("narrow"), related to Old English enge and German eng.

engage

Old French

From Old French engagier ("to pledge"), from Frankish roots related to Proto-Germanic wadjōną ("to pledge, secure") — ultimately the same root as "wed."

engagement

French

From French engagement, from engage plus -ment.