The "En-" Prefix: Making and Causing in 10+ Words
The prefix "en-" from French (ultimately Latin "in-") creates 10+ causative verbs meaning "to make" or "to put into." It transforms nouns and adjectives into verbs of transformation.
Causative: Making Something
Enable (make able), enrich (make rich), enlarge (make large)—"en-" creates verbs meaning "to make [adjective]."
Putting Into
Encase (put in a case), entrap (put in a trap), embed (put in a bed)—"en-" means putting something into a container or state.
Em- Variant
Before b, m, p: embed, embody, employ, empower—spelling changes to "em-" before labial consonants.
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Conclusion
The "en-" prefix is crucial for understanding causative verbs and transformation vocabulary in English.
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