different between imbue vs enrich

English

Etymology

From Latin imbu? (“wet, moisten”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?bju?/

Verb

imbue (third-person singular simple present imbues, present participle imbuing, simple past and past participle imbued)

1. (transitive) To wet or stain an object completely with some physical quality.

2. In general, to act in a way which results in an object becoming completely permeated or impregnated by some quality.

Usage notes

• Imbue takes meaning from the word imbibe, which means "to absorb or to be filled with".

Derived terms

• imbuement

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.by/

Adjective

imbue

1. feminine singular of imbu

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?im.bu.e/, [??mbu?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?im.bu.e/, [?imbu?]

Verb

imbue

1. second-person singular present active imperative of imbu?

English

Etymology

From Middle English enrichen, from Anglo-Norman enrichir and Old French enrichier.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n???t??/
• Rhymes: -?t?

Verb

enrich (third-person singular simple present enriches, present participle enriching, simple past and past participle enriched)

1. (transitive) To enhance.
2. (transitive) To make (someone or something) rich or richer. [from 14th c.]

   Synonym: endow

   Antonym: impoverish

3. (transitive) To adorn, ornate more richly. [from 17th c.]
4. (transitive) To add nutrients or fertilizer to the soil; to fertilize. [from 17th c.]

   Antonym: impoverish

5. (physics, transitive) To increase the amount of one isotope in a mixture of isotopes, especially in a nuclear fuel. [from 20th c.]

   Antonym: deplete

   Antonym: downblend

6. (transitive) To add nutrients to foodstuffs; to fortify
7. (chemistry) To make to rise the proportion of a given constituent.

Derived terms

• enricher
• enrichment

Translations

See also

• look out for number one
• every man for himself
• feather one's nest/feather one's own nest

References

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928) , “Enrich”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume III (D–E), London: Clarendon Press, OCLC 15566697, page 198, column 2.

Anagrams

• Rhenic, incher, nicher, rhenic, richen