Where does “enact” come from?

Enact comes from Middle English enacten, formed with the prefix en- from Old French en-, ultimately derived from Latin in- and Latin in, which trace back through Proto-Indo-European ne and Proto-Indo-European h₁én.

enact (English): to make into law; to act the part of; to play;...

Definitions

  1. to make into law; to act the part of; to play;...

Ancestry of “enact”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishenacten—
2Old Frenchen-en- in; into
3Latinīn-un-, non-, not
4Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “enact”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →