enhance
verb
Wendy Perrin 
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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
Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
The goal of the system is to enhance overall road safety by alerting drivers early, encouraging them to slow down or adjust their speed before a sudden gap with surrounding vehicles creates a higher risk of collisions or unexpected traffic incidents.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Nov. 2025
Scammers are also tapping new technologies to enhance their operations.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2025
Rishe believes some of this phase is a natural byproduct of an embryonic endeavor, and that best practices will emerge to enhance guardrails.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Nov. 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 16 Nov. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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