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Enhance Has Latin Roots
When enhance was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it literally meant to raise something higher. That sense, though now obsolete, provides a clue about the origins of the word. Enhance, which was spelled enhauncen in Middle English, comes to us from Anglo-French enhaucer or enhauncer ("to raise"), which can be traced back to the Latin altus ("high") by way of an assumed Vulgar Latin verb inaltiare, which would have been formed by combining the prefix in- with the Latin altus. Although enhance initially applied only to physically making things higher, it developed an additional and less literal sense of "to exalt especially in rank or spirit," and quickly acquired extended figurative senses for raising the value or attractiveness of something or someone.
Synonyms
Examples of enhance in a Sentence
Angela Lei, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Its rugged, waterproof build is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, while add-on lenses enhance versatility for content creators.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 6 Jan. 2025
Naturally, Wiggins’s first priority was to preserve and enhance the spartan cottage’s existing architecture: the façade of rough-hewn local stone, quaint clapboard walls, restored wood floors, and exposed ceiling beams.
—Laura May Todd, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2025
That money meant to help state and local preparedness programs enhance monitoring of the virus and fund additional research.
—ABC News, 5 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near enhance
Cite this Entry
“Enhance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enhance. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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