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en·e·my

(ĕnə-mē)

n. pl. en·e·mies

a. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes another; a foe.

b. One who opposes or is hostile to an idea or cause: an enemy of democracy.

c. Something destructive or injurious in its effects: "Art hath an enemy called Ignorance" (Ben Jonson).

a. A hostile power or force, such as a nation.

b. A member or unit of such a force.

3. A group of foes or hostile forces. See Usage Note at collective noun.

adj.

Of, relating to, or being a hostile power or force.

[Middle English enemi, from Old French, from Latin inimīcus : in-, not; see IN-¹ + amīcus, friend.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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