Where does “en” come from?
En comes from Old English hine, whose original meaning is unknown.
en (English): Abbreviation of English; The name of the...
Definitions
- Abbreviation of English; The name of the...
Ancestry of “en”, step by step
en traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French en
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | en | in; to; by |
| 2 | Middle French | en | on; on to |
| 3 | Old French | en | in; inside; on; upon; in |
| 4 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 5 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via Old English hine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | hine | accusative of hē: him |