ens

E1N1S1
UK/ˈɛnz/

noun

An entity or being; an existing thing, as opposed to a quality or attribute.

Less commonScrabble 3

Meanings

ens1

nounens (plural enses or entia)

plural enses · plural entia

  1. human sciencesAn entity or being; an existing thing, as opposed to a quality or attribute.

    the Nature of the Supreme Ens

    1860, John Henry Macmahon, A treatise on metaphysics: chiefly in reference to revealed religion, page 195
    1 more example

    Forms sphered in fire with trembling light array'd, / Ens without weight, and substance without shade […].

    1791, Erasmus Darwin, The Economy of Vegetation, J. Johnson, page 41
  2. historicalalchemySomething supposed to condense within itself all the virtues and qualities of a substance from which it is extracted; an essence, an active principle.

    Here he states that there are five ‘active principles’ – the five Enses or entia – that influence our bodies and give rise to disease […]

    2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow, published 2007, page 245

ens2

noun
  1. pluralplural of en

ENS3

nounENS (plural ENSs)

plural ENSs

  1. abbreviationinitialismanatomyInitialism of enteric nervous system.
proper noun
  1. abbreviationinitialismbusinessInitialism of Ethereum Name Service.

    The components involved in ENS loosely mimic those of DNS, with the difference that they are implemented as smart contracts within the Ethereum network.

    2019, Santiago Palladino, Ethereum for Web Developers, Apress, →ISBN, page 267

Ens4

noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of ens.

ENs5

noun
  1. pluralplural of EN

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

ens · noun

  1. Late Latinēns“thing”
  2. Englishens

From Late Latin ēns (“thing”), from esse (“to be”). See entity.

Full word history & related roots →

ens · noun

Inflected forms.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with ens

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

ens. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ens

MLA

“ens.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ens. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ens,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ens.

Source: ens on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.