enough (English)
Where does "enough" come from?
The word "enough" traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂neḱ-, meaning "to reach" or "to attain." This evolved into the Proto-Germanic *ganōgaz, which signaled a sense of having reached a sufficient amount. Passing through Old English as ġenōg and Middle English as ynogh, it eventually settled into its modern form, remaining conceptually linked to the idea of arriving at a point of satisfaction.
Full etymology tree
- enough (English), 'Sufficiently.'
- inherited ynogh (Middle English), 'enough'
- inherited ġenōg (Old English), 'enough, sufficient'
- inherited *ganōg (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *ganōgaz (Proto-Germanic), 'enough, sufficient'
- compound *ga- (Proto-Germanic), 'Indicates association or togetherness; co-.'
- compound *nōgaz (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *h₂eh₂nóḱe (Proto-Indo-European), 'to have reached, to be at'
- derived *h₂neḱ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to reach, to attain'
- influence *h₁neḱ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to receive, take away'
- derived *h₂neḱ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to reach, to attain'
- inherited *h₂eh₂nóḱe (Proto-Indo-European), 'to have reached, to be at'
- influence *nuganą (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *ganōgaz (Proto-Germanic), 'enough, sufficient'
- inherited *ganōg (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited ġenōg (Old English), 'enough, sufficient'
- inherited ynogh (Middle English), 'enough'
Direct ancestors
- ynogh (Middle English)
- genog (Old English)
- ganōgaz (Proto-Germanic)
- eneuch (Scots)
- genôch (West Frisian)
- genoeg (Dutch)
- genug (German)
- nok (Danish)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris