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Origin and history of em-

em-

word-forming element meaning "put in or into, bring to a certain state," sometimes intensive, from French assimilation of en- "in, into" (see en- (1)) to following labial stop (-b-, -p-, and often -m-), or from the same development in later Latin in- (to im-). "This rule was not fully established in spelling before the 17th c." [OED], but it is likely the pronunciation shift was in Old French and Middle English and spelling was slow to conform. Also a living prefix in English used to form verbs from adjectives and nouns (embitter, embody). In words such as emancipate, emerge, emit, emotion the e- is a reduced form of Latin ex- (see ex-) before -m-.

Entries linking to em-

embitter(v.)

"make bitter," c. 1600, from em- (1) + bitter (adj.). Now rare in its literal sense; figurative meaning "affect with bitterness or unhappiness" is attested by 1630s. Related: Embittered; embitterment.

embody(v.)

1540s, in reference to a soul or spirit, "invest with an animate form;" from 1660s of principles, ideas, etc., "express, arrange or exemplify intelligently or perceptibly;" from em- (1) "in" + body (n.). Related: Embodied; embodying.

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imbrue
early 15c., "to soak, steep;" mid-15c., "to stain, soil," from Old French embruer "to moisten," which probably is a metathesis of embevrer "give to drink, make drunk," from em- (see em-) + -bevrer, ultimately from Latin bibere "to drink" (from PIE root *po(i)- "to drink"). Or per
improve
late 15c., "to use to one's profit, to increase (income)," from Anglo-French emprouwer "to turn to profit" (late 13c.), from Old French en-, a causative prefix or from em-, + prou "profit," from Latin prode "advantageous" (see proud (adj.)). Spelling with -v- was rare before 17c.
reimburse
"replace, in a treasury, fund, etc., as an equivalent for what has been taken or expended," 1610s, from re- "back" + now-archaic verb imburse "to pay, enrich," literally "put in a purse" (1530s), from French embourser, from Old French em- "in" (see em-) + borser "to get money," f
zillion
They're going to bring 'em over here—zillions of them."...
ambassador
Forms in am- and em- were used indiscriminately in English 17c.-18c....
flotsam
flottaison), from floter "to float, set afloat" (of Germanic origin and cognate with float) + -aison, from Latin -ation(em...
imp
imptus, from Late Latin impotus "implanted," from Greek emphytos, verbal adjective formed from emphyein "implant," from em...
perspective
late 14c., perspectif, "the science of optics," from Old French perspective and directly from Medieval Latin perspectiva ars "science of optics," from fem. of perspectivus "of sight, optical" from Latin perspectus "clearly perceived," past participle of perspicere "inspect, look
chimera
fabulous monster of Greek mythology, slain by Bellerophon, late 14c., from Old French chimere or directly from Medieval Latin chimera, from Latin Chimaera, from Greek khimaira, name of a mythical fire-breathing creature (slain by Bellerophon) with a lion's head, a goat's body, an
hustle
1680s (trans.), "to shake to and fro" (especially of money in a cap, as part of a game called hustle-cap), metathesized from Dutch hutselen, husseln "to shake, to toss," frequentative of hutsen, variant of hotsen "to shake." "The stems hot-, hut- appear in a number of formations

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