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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
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
For example, a healthcare provider using a unified content model can empower their staff to retrieve patient records or research data with ease, reducing the burden on management and enhancing patient experience.
—Daniel Fallmann, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
Hawaii represented one of the most significant strategic spots on the globe, enhancing power projection across the Pacific, east or west, and bolstering the defensive perimeter of any Pacific nation that controlled it.
—Robert W. Merry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area.
—Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 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 11 Mar. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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