enemy

The story

1. Latin · derived frominimīcus
2. Old French · derived fromenemi
3. Middle English · inherited fromenemy
4. English todayenemy

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

Words from the same roots