enemy

Alternative forms

• enemie (obsolete)

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)

• 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.

Adjective

enemy (comparative more enemy, superlative most enemy)

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

See also

• nemesis

Anagrams

• Yemen, yemen

Noun

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

1. Alternative form of enemi