-en Hear it!

-en definition

-en (ən, 'n)

  1. Etymology: ME < -en, -ien < OE -nian

    1. to become or cause to be: added to adjectives darken, weaken
    2. to come to have, cause to have: added to nouns heighten, hearten, strengthen

  2. Etymology: ME & OE, akin to L -inus, Gr -inos

    made of: added to concrete nouns wooden, waxen

  3. Etymology: ME & OE

    forming the past participle of strong verbs risen, written

  4. Etymology: OE -an

    forming the plural of certain nouns children, oxen

  5. Etymology: OE

    forming the feminine of certain nouns vixen

  6. Etymology: OE

    forming certain old diminutives chicken

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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