To connect or join together with or as if with links in a chain.
From Middle English, combining the prefix 'en-' (to cause to be) with 'link,' which comes from Old Norse 'hlenkr' meaning chain or loop. The word emerged in the 14th-15th centuries as writers needed a verb form to describe the action of creating linked connections.
This word is a perfect example of how English uses the 'en-' prefix to turn nouns into action verbs—we don't just 'link' things, we can 'enlink' them, suggesting a more complete or thorough linking process. You'll rarely hear it used today, but it reminds us that English speakers 500 years ago were just as creative with word-building as we are now.
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