Etymology
This compound has been attributed to two different sources: (1) ME
enker (in what may be understood either as a compound adj. or as an intensifying adv. + adj.) has often been explained as a loan from ON (thus TGD,
MED, Emerson 1927: 255, McGee), cp. OIcel
einkar adv. (intens.) ‘especially/most/very, exceptionally’, formed ultimately on PGmc
*ainaz ‘one’ plus a suffix. In that case, the ME initial /e/ is here best explained as an instance of an (earlier) common ON change of /ɛi/ > short /e/ before a consonant cluster (rather than OEN monophthongization); attested OWN forms in
ein- have probably had the diphthong restored by analogy with
einn ‘one’ (see Bj., McGee 569, Luick Gram §384.1, Br-N §105.2). McGee regards
enker(-grene) as a back formation on ME
enkerli (adv.) ‘eagerly, boldly’ (which is usually taken as a loan of the same ON word). (2) Alternatively,
enker in
enker-grene has been derived from French (thus
OED, Kullnick 23, GDS (also noting (1) as a possibility), cp. OFr
encré ‘inked’ (i.e. an adj. formed on the n.
encre ‘ink’, ult. < Lat
*encaustrum); the phrase
vert encré ‘dark green’ is cited by
OED as a direct analogue and AND notes the phrasal compound
encre vert ‘ink-green, bright green’, which is still closer to the ME usage.
PGmc Ancestor
(1) *ain-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
einkar ‘especially/most/very, exceptionally’
(ONP einkar (adv.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far onka-, Norw einka, OSw enka, Sw enkom
OE Cognate
Phonological and morphological markers
Summary category
D1c