Meanings
verbenerve (third-person singular simple present enerves, present participle enerving, simple past and past participle enerved)
present singular third person enerves · participle present enerving · participle past enerved · past enerved
- obsoleteTo weaken or enervate.
Such object hath the power to soften and tame Severest temper, smooth the rugged'st brow , Enerve, and with voluptuous hope dissolve
1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 2
Origin
Compare French énerver. See enervate.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
enerve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enerve
MLA
“enerve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enerve. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “enerve,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enerve.
Source: enerve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.