enterprise

B2 Topic:Economics & Markets

Also spelled enterprize

US /ˈɛntɚˌpɹaɪz/ UK /ˈɛntəˌpɹaɪz/ See IPA manual

Freq #5317

Meanings

1

noun
A company or business.

She runs a small enterprise selling handmade jewellery.
2

noun
A project or undertaking, especially a bold or difficult one.

They had doubts about the whole enterprise from the start.
3

noun
The willingness to start new or risky projects; energy and initiative.

He has shown great enterprise throughout his early career.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a company or business. company business

2 noun · a project or undertaking,... endeavor venture undertaking

3 noun · the willingness to start... initiative

More firm

Word family

Forms enterprisedenterprisesenterprizes

Derived forms enterpriselessenterpriserenterprisewideenterpriseyenterprisinginterenterpriseintraenterprisemicroenterprisenonenterprise

Related forms activity entrepreneur

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

free enterprise
an economic system in which private businesses operate mainly through market competition

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Enterprise entered English through French in the late Middle English period. It is related to French entreprendre, “to undertake,” the same verb that produced entrepreneur.

Etymology

From Old French via Middle English and Middle French entreprise, feminine past participle of entreprendre (“to undertake”), from entre (“in between”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin inter + prehendō, see prehensile.

*gʰed- Proto-Indo-European entreprise Middle French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Economics & Markets Business & Commerce

External links

# enterprise

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɛntɚˌpɹaɪz/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɛntəˌpɹaɪz/
**Frequency rank:** 5317

## Meanings
1. A company or business.
2. A project or undertaking, especially a bold or difficult one.
3. The willingness to start new or risky projects; energy and initiative.

## Examples
- She runs a small enterprise selling handmade jewellery.
- They had doubts about the whole enterprise from the start.
- He has shown great enterprise throughout his early career.

## Synonyms
- business
- company
- firm

## Derived Forms
- enterpriseless
- enterpriser
- enterprisewide
- enterprisey
- enterprising
- interenterprise
- intraenterprise
- microenterprise
- nonenterprise

## Related Forms
- activity
- entrepreneur

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gʰed-
- Root: entreprise

## Etymology
From Old French via Middle English and Middle French entreprise, feminine past participle of entreprendre (“to undertake”), from entre (“in between”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin inter + prehendō, see prehensile.

## AI Etymology
Enterprise comes from Old French via Middle English and Middle French entreprise, feminine past participle of entreprendre (“to undertake”), from entre (“in between”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin inter + prehendō, see prehensile. In current use, the main senses are “A company or business” and “A project or undertaking, especially a bold or difficult one”.

## Topics
- Economics & Markets
- Business & Commerce

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