English word origin

Etymology of en

The name of the letter comes from Latin en. The typographic sense dates to 1793.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The name of the Latin script letter N/n. · A unit of measurement equal to half an em (half the height of the type in use).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The name of the letter comes from Latin en. The typographic sense dates to 1793.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionenla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin en"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "en",
      "en#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Alabama",
      "lang_code": "akz",
      "word": "ìnka",
      "raw_tags": [
        "reshaped by analogy or addition of morphemes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The name of the Latin script letter N/n.",
        "A unit of measurement equal to half an em (half the height of the type in use)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1626faa49582d190578f35884bdbe568cce71abd7785cc638788cca199dca20f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2d351621acf60d315e9439a04568b039a7dd720f1ae64dc4763ef7110b3acaf6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3549
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prep

Used in various phrases borrowed from French or formed as if borrowed from French (see "Derived terms" below).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French en.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionenfr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "French en"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "en",
      "en#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Used in various phrases borrowed from French or formed as if borrowed from French (see \"Derived terms\" below)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "781b82f9b6a7efad979b279460c20e1e793a268464a094e0dd545da8e5719471",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2da728fa5e4b73edca23bd808a5218fa072576e9b382d6ed641377cce42b7ff1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3550
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

pron

Him. · It (when the thing being referred to is masculine).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Old English hine.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:hine",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"en\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"en\">\nInherited from Old English hine."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "ang:hine",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English hine."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hine",
      "hine#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "Him.",
        "It (when the thing being referred to is masculine)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Newfoundland",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for en →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZW4