Enhaunce

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To lift something higher or elevate it to a greater height ; to make something grow larger, stronger, or more valuable
2. Raising an object upward or setting it on a higher level ; augmenting an amount, quality, or degree so that it becomes greater
3. Elevating something to a loftier position ; heightening or swelling a value, price, or intensity so that it rises

Etymology: "Enhaunce" is simply an older spelling of "enhance," and the spelling tells a small story of its own. The English word came through Middle English "enhauncen" and "anhaunsen," borrowed from Anglo-Norman "anhauncer," meaning "to raise." Behind that lies a Vulgar Latin verb, "inaltiāre," built from the Latin preposition "in" and the adjective "altus," meaning "high." So the word's core idea is simply lifting something up. The unusual "h" was not originally in the Latin root at all. It crept into the French form by way of "haut," the French word for "high," which itself gained its "h" from Frankish influence. Writers then carried that silent-looking "h" into English, where it stayed in spellings like "enhaunce" for centuries, even though the sound it reflected was more about the neighboring word than the Latin original.