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en·ceinte¹

(ĕn-sānt, än-sănt)

adj.

Carrying an unborn child; pregnant.

[French, from Old French, ultimately from Latin inciēns, pregnant; see keuə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

en·ceinte²

(ĕn-sānt, än-sant, äɴ-saɴt)

1. An encircling fortification, as around a fort, castle, or town.

2. A structure or an area protected by an encircling fortification.

[French, fromLate Latinincincta, fromfeminine past participle ofincingere, to surround closely : Latinin-, in; see IN–² + Latincingere, to gird; see kenk- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

(click for a larger image)

enceinte2

aerial photograph of the 1212–1225 fortified church of Prejmer, Romania

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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