enemy

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

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 feend (“enemy”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), which survived into Modern English as fiend, but with a different meaning.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈɛnəmi/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: en‧e‧my

Noun

enemy (plural enemies)

  1. Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else.
    He made a lot of enemies after reducing the working hours in his department.
    Crush the enemy!
  2. A hostile force or nation; a fighting member of such a force or nation.
    rally together against a common enemy.
  3. An alliance of such forces.
  4. Something harmful or threatening to another
    • 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Time‎:
      The very thing the 16 skiers and snowboarders had sought — fresh, soft snow — instantly became the enemy. Somewhere above, a pristine meadow cracked in the shape of a lightning bolt, slicing a slab nearly 200 feet across and 3 feet deep. Gravity did the rest.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Translations
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Adjective

enemy (comparative more enemy, superlative most enemy)

  1. of, relating to, or belonging to an enemy

Translations

See also

Anagrams

Old French

Noun

enemy m (oblique plural enemys, nominative singular enemys, nominative plural enemy)

  1. Alternative form of enemi

Descendants
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