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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
Robin Ryan, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
While administration officials tout the bill as a tool to enhance public safety, immigration experts caution that the funding far exceeds what's needed to target serious criminal offenders.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Several studies suggest that giving folinic acid, a kind of vitamin, to certain autistic children could enhance their verbal abilities.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 15 July 2025
The event promises to enhance Milan’s international appeal and Cortina’s status as a luxury ski resort destination.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 15 July 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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