Causing someone to feel affection or love; charming in a way that makes people like you.
From 'endear,' which combines the prefix 'en-' (to put into) with 'dear,' from Old English 'deore.' The word literally means 'to make dear' and has been used this way since the 1600s.
The 'dear' root connects to concepts of value and affection across many languages—German 'teuer' (expensive), Latin 'carus' (dear, costly), and Old Norse 'dýrr' all share the idea that something precious is 'dear.' Affection and value are deeply linked in human language.
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