Other forms: enemies
An enemy is somebody who wants to harm you or fights against you. Make an enemy, the enemy lines, a sworn enemy.
In war the enemy takes a singular verb and means the whole opposing force. The word is stronger than opponent or rival, since it implies wanting harm rather than wanting to win. The Latin behind it means simply not a friend.
1nounenemySomebody who wants to harm you or fights against you.
“The two countries were enemies for centuries before they finally made peace.”
enemy is a person.
Latin inimicus means not a friend — in, not, plus amicus, a friend.
Latin
inimīcus
Old French
enemi
Middle English
enemy
English, today
enemy
Built from
From Middle English enemy, enemye, enmy, borrowed from Old French enemi, anemi (Modern French ennemi), from Latin inimīcus, from in- (“not”) + amīcus (“friend”). Displaced Middle English fend (“enemy”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), which survived into Modern English - as fiend, but with a different meaning. a doublet of inimic.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA