Enough

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈnÊŒf/
• Rhymes: -ÊŒf
• Hyphenation: e + nough

Alternative forms

• enow
• anough obsolete
• aneuch, eneuch, eneugh Scotland

Origin

From Middle English ynough, from Old English ġenōg ("enough"), from Proto-Germanic *ganōgaz ("enough") (compare Scots eneuch, West Frisian genôch, Dutch genoeg, German genug, Low German noog, Danish nok, Swedish nog, Icelandic nógur), from *ǥanaxa 'to suffice' (compare Old English ġeneah), or from *ga- + an unattested *nōgaz, probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂nó(n)ḱe 'he has reached, attained', perfective of *h₂neḱ- ("to reach") (compare Old Irish tánaic 'he arrived', Latin nancisci 'to get', Lithuanian nèšti 'to carry', Albanian kënaq 'to please, satisfy', Ancient Greek ἐνεγκεῖν (enenkein, "to carry").).

Full definition of enough

Determiner

1. Sufficient; all that is required, needed, or appropriate.
• Bible, Gospel of Luke xv. 17How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare!
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 16, The preposterous altruism too!...Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 15, ‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! … What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’
2. I've already had enough coffee today.   Are you man enough to fight me?

Adverb

1. Sufficiently.
   I cannot run fast enough to catch up to them.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 5, Of all the queer collections of humans outside of a crazy asylum, it seemed to me this sanitarium was the cup winner. … When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose.
2. Fully; quite; used to express slight augmentation of the positive degree, and sometimes equivalent to very.
   He is ready enough to accept the offer.
• William ShakespeareI know you well enough; you are Signior Antonio.
• 1910, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price Chapter 1, “… it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

Usage notes

As an adverb, enough always follows the verb it qualifies.

Pronoun

1. A sufficient or adequate number, amount, etc.I have enough to keep me going.

Interjection

1. stop! Don't do that anymore, etc.Enough!