Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “enemy” come from?

Enemy comes from Middle English enemy, Old French enemi, and Latin inimicus, combining the Latin prefix in- (not) with a root from Proto-Indo-European ne (not).

enemy (English): Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards,...

Definitions

  1. Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards,...

Ancestry of “enemy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishenemy—
2Old Frenchenemienemy
3Old FrenchinimiAlternative form of enemi
4Latininimīcus—
5Latinamīcus—
6Latinamō—
7LatinDeusGod
8Latindẹ̄vos—
9Old Latindeivosgod, deity
10Proto-Italicdeiwosgod, deity
11Proto-Indo-Europeandeywósgod
12Proto-Indo-Europeandyew-to be bright; sky, heaven

Words derived from “enemy”

  • archenemy
  • enemyship
  • enemyhood
  • enemyslash
  • enemylike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dyew- →