Enrich

How to spell enrich

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce enrich

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does enrich mean?

1. verbTo improve the quality, value, or fullness of something, or to make someone wealthier.

Enrich in a sentence

• The new manager wanted to enrich the training programme with practical workshops.

• Farmers add compost to enrich the soil before planting.

Where does enrich come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from the Old French enrichir, formed from the prefix en-, meaning 'to make' or 'to put into a state', and riche, meaning 'wealthy' or 'powerful'. The French riche itself traces back to a Frankish and broader Germanic root that meant 'powerful' or 'ruler', a relative of the Old English rice and of the same family that gives us the word-ending in 'bishopric'. English adopted enrich in the late 1300s, at first in the plain financial sense of making someone wealthier. Over the centuries the meaning broadened beyond money to cover anything made fuller, finer, or more valuable, from soil improved with nutrients to a life made richer by experience. For spelling, it helps to see it simply as the everyday word 'rich' with the live prefix 'en-' bolted on the front, so the single n and the ordinary -ich ending fall straight out of the parts.

How the word is built

• en- (to make, to put into)
• rich (wealthy, abundant)