Enforcing

How to spell enforcing

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce enforcing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does enforcing mean?

1. verbCompelling observance of or obedience to a rule, law, or standard.

Enforcing in a sentence

• The council is enforcing a strict parking rule across the city centre.

• Officers spent the weekend enforcing the speed limit on the motorway.

Where does enforcing come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the present participle of 'enforce', which English took from Old French enforcier, meaning 'to strengthen' or 'to compel'. That verb was built from the prefix en- (to put into or bring about) and force, which traces back through Latin fortis, meaning 'strong'. The earliest English uses in the 1300s carried the literal sense of giving strength to something, but the meaning narrowed over time to 'compelling obedience to a rule or law'. The same fortis root sits behind everyday relatives such as 'fortify', 'comfort' and 'effort', all sharing the idea of strength. A common spelling worry here is the soft 'c': because the base word ends in '-ce', the participle keeps the c and adds -ing, giving 'forcing' and thus 'enforcing', not a tempting '-sing'.

How the word is built

• en- (to put into, cause to)
• force (from Latin fortis: strong)
• -ing (present participle suffix)