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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.
Examples of enhance in a Sentence
Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
The project will add fencing, enhance lighting for pedestrians and make other upgrades to infrastructure in the area.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2025
Silk enhances fluidity and durability and allows the dyes to impart more saturated colors.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
There are privacy enhancing technologies that would alleviate this concern.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enhance
Cite this Entry
“Enhance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enhance. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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