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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
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Apr. 2025
Multimillion-dollar residences on the stylish Soho strip enhance the neighborhood’s offerings, providing residents with unmatched dwellings.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
Le Creuset added an innovative third layer of enamel coating enhanced with light-catching minerals to elevate the already impressively vibrant Flame.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Google Cloud and Google DeepMind are employing Gemini models, Veo 2 and Imagen 3 to enhance the film’s resolution, as well as to expand backgrounds to fill the screen and digitally recreate existing characters who would otherwise not appear on the same screen.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 9 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 2025.
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enhance
verb
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