Advertisement
Entries linking to enrichment
enrich (v.)late 14c., "to make wealthy," from Old French enrichir "enrich, enlarge," from en- "make, put in" (see en- (1)) + riche "rich" (see rich). Figurative sense "supply with abundance of something desirable" is from 1590s. Meaning "to fertilize" is from c. 1600. Scientific sense of "to increase the abundance of a particular isotope in some material" is first attested 1945. Related: Enriched; enriching.
-ment
common suffix of Latin origin forming nouns, originally from French and representing Latin -mentum, which was added to verb stems to make nouns indicating the result or product of the action of the verb or the means or instrument of the action. In Vulgar Latin and Old French it came to be used as a formative in nouns of action. French inserts an -e- between the verbal root and the suffix (as in commenc-e-ment from commenc-er; with verbs in ir, -i- is inserted instead (as in sent-i-ment from sentir).
Used with English verb stems from 16c. (for example amazement, betterment, merriment, the last of which also illustrates the habit of turning -y to -i- before this suffix).
The stems to which -ment is normally appended are those of verbs; freaks like oddment & funniment should not be made a precedent of; they are themselves due to misconception of merriment, which is not from the adjective, but from an obsolete verb merry to rejoice. [Fowler]
Share enrichment
‘cite’
Page URL:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment
HTML Link:
<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment">Etymology of enrichment by etymonline</a>
APA style:
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of enrichment. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment
Chicago style:
Harper Douglas, “Etymology of enrichment,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment.
MLA style:
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of enrichment.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment. Accessed $(datetimeMla).
IEEE style:
D. Harper. “Etymology of enrichment.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/enrichment (accessed $(datetime)).
Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of enrichment
enrichment (n.)
act of making fuller or more meaningful or rewarding;
enrichment (n.)
a gift that significantly increases the recipient's wealth;