Where does “endear” come from?
Endear comes from Middle English enderen, from Old French enderer, formed with the prefix en- and Old French cher (dear), ultimately from Latin cārus meaning beloved or precious.
endear (English): To make more precious or valuable; To make more...
Definitions
- To make more precious or valuable; To make more...
Ancestry of “endear”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | En- | Forms a transitive verb whose meaning is to make the attached adjective |
| 2 | Middle English | en- | en-, in- |
| 3 | Old French | en- | en- in; into |
| 4 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 5 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 6 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |