Energies

How to spell energies

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce energies

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does energies mean?

1. nounThe various forces, powers, or levels of vitality and effort that a person, group, or system possesses or directs.

Energies in a sentence

• After the long flight her energies were completely drained.

• The team channelled their energies into finishing the project before the deadline.

Where does energies come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This is the plural of 'energy', which English borrowed in the late 1500s from the French energie, itself drawn from the Late Latin energia. The ultimate source is the Greek energeia, meaning 'activity' or 'operation', built from the prefix en, meaning 'in' or 'at', and ergon, meaning 'work'. Aristotle used energeia in a technical philosophical sense for being-at-work or actuality, and the early English meaning leaned toward force of expression and vigour before the physical-science meaning of capacity to do work settled in during the 1800s. The Greek root ergon survives in many relatives, including 'ergonomic' and 'allergy', so the buried 'erg' is a useful reminder of why the word is spelled with that 'erg' rather than 'urg'. The plural simply changes the final 'y' to 'ies', the standard rule for nouns ending in a consonant plus 'y'.

How the word is built

• en- (in/at)
• erg (work, from Greek ergon)
• -y (noun suffix)
• -es (plural)