English
enjoin
Enjoin comes from Old French enjoindre ‘to join with’, from Latin iniungo ‘to attach’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg- ‘to join, to yoke, to tie together’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-1‘to join, to yoke, to tie together’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yunégti1‘to be joining’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jungō1‘to yoke’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungō1‘to join, unite, fasten, yoke, harness, attach’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiniungo2‘to attach’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400enjoindre2‘to join with’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enjoinen2
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598enjoin2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin iniungo
- 2 Wiktionary, English enjoin
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things:”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-Wiktionary, Latin iniungo‘to join, to yoke, to tie together’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yunégtiWiktionary, Latin iniungo‘to be joining’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jungōWiktionary, Latin iniungo‘to yoke’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungōWiktionary, Latin iniungo‘to join, unite, fasten, yoke, harness, attach’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiniungoWiktionary, English enjoin‘to attach’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400enjoindreWiktionary, English enjoin‘to join with’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enjoinenWiktionary, English enjoin
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598enjoinWiktionary, English enjoin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things:”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *yewg- ‘to join, to yoke, to tie together’
yoga, joint, yogi, injunction, yoke, jodi, jugular, conjugate, conjugation, rejoin, subjugate, zygote, yojana, yuga, 34 more
through Proto-Italic *jungō ‘to yoke’
conjunction, disjunction, 9 more
through Latin iungō ‘to join, unite, fasten, yoke, harness, attach’
junction, junta, adjunct, juncture, juxtaposition, adjoining, subjunctive, conjunct, joiner, jostle, disjoint, adjoint, 12 more
Today it means
verb To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “enjoin”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin iniungo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *yewg- / enjoin