enemy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A person who hates you, opposes you, or wants to harm you.

   He made many enemies during his rise to power.

2. 2
   noun

   A country or armed force that you are fighting against in a war.

   The soldiers rallied together against a common enemy.

3. 3
   noun

   Something that harms or works against you.

   For a perfectionist, time can become the enemy.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Enemy entered English in the late 13th century from Old French enemi, which came from Latin inimicus. The Latin word combined in-, “not,” with amicus, “friend,” so an enemy was literally someone who was not a friend.

From Middle English enemy, enemye, enmy, borrowed from Old French enemi, anemi (Modern French ennemi), from Latin inimīcus, from in- (“not”) + amīcus (“friend”). Displaced Middle English fend (“enemy”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), which survived into Modern English as fiend, but with a different meaning. Doublet of inimic.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary