*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of en-

From Middle English en- (“en-, in-”). Originally from Old French en- (also an-), from Latin in- (“in, into”) and Frankish *in-, *int-, *anda-; but also from an alteration of in-, from Middle English in-, from Old English

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In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

in, into · on, onto · covered by · to become

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

From Middle English en- (“en-, in-”). Originally from Old French en- (also an-), from Latin in- (“in, into”) and Frankish *in-, *int-, *anda-; but also from an alteration of in-, from Middle English in-, from Old English in- (“in, into”), from Proto-Germanic *in (“in”). Both the Latin and the Germanic forms are from Proto-Indo-European *en (“in, into”). Intensive use of Old French en-, an- is due to confluence with Frankish *an- and *in- (intensive prefixes), related to Old English on- and in- (intensive prefixes). More at in-, on-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionen-enm · en-, in-
  • Derivation mentionen-fro
  • Derivation mentionin-la · in, into
  • Inherited-form mentionin-enm
  • Inherited-form mentionin-ang · in, into
  • Inherited-form mention*ingem-pro · in
  • Inherited-form mention*enine-pro · in, into
  • Cognate mentionen-fro
  • Cognate mentionon-ang
  • Doublet mentionin-en

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:en-<id:into>",
        "id": "into"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"into\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"in\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"in\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"in\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"in\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁én\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*en\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*en-\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"in-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"en-\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"en-\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"en-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"into\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"en-\" id=\"English:_into\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "en-",
        "t": "en-, in-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English en- (“en-, in-”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "en-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French en-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "in-",
        "t": "in, into"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin in- (“in, into”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*in-"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *in-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "in-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English in-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "in-",
        "t": "in, into"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English in- (“in, into”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*in",
        "t": "in"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *in (“in”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gem"
      },
      "expansion": "Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*en",
        "t": "in, into"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *en (“in, into”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "en-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French en-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*an-"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *an-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "on-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English on-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "in-",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "in-"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:en-<id:into>",
        "id": "into"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
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      "en-",
      "en-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "en-",
      "en-#Old_French"
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      "an-",
      "an-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*in-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/in-"
    ],
    [
      "*int-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/int-"
    ],
    [
      "*anda-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/anda-"
    ],
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      "in-",
      "in-#English"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "in-",
      "in-#Old_English"
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    ],
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    ],
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      "en-",
      "en-#Old_French"
    ],
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      "an-",
      "an-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*an-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/an-"
    ],
    [
      "*in-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/in-"
    ],
    [
      "on-",
      "on-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#English"
    ],
    [
      "on-",
      "on-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "in, into",
        "on, onto",
        "covered by",
        "to become"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
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}

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-ZW4t