Enrich

v. Forms: α. 4–6 enrych, 6 enriche, (enritch, Sc. enreache), 5– enrich. β. 6 inrych, 6–8 inrich(e. [a. Fr. enrich-ir, f. en- (see EN- pref.¹) + riche rich.]

  1.  trans. To make rich, wealthy or opulent. Also absol.

1382.  Wyclif, Gen. xxx. 20. The Lord hath enrychide me with a good dower.

c. 1460.  Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 142. He hath than enryched his Corowne with such Riches and Possessions, as never Kyng schal may take from yt.

1530.  Act 22 Hen. VIII., c. 8 § 1. Denizens … after they be so inriched … convey themselves, with their said Goods, to their own Country.

a. 1572.  Knox, Hist. Ref., Wks. 1846, I. 398. Nor yitt to enreache the Crowne … with your substance.

1677.  Yarranton, Engl. Improv., 61. Set all the poor in England at work, and much inrich the Country.

1732.  Berkeley, Alciphr., II. § 2. Many men are enriched by all the forementioned ways of trade.

1838.  Emerson, Addr. Camb. Mass., Wks. (Bohn), II. 191. Thefts never enrich; alms never impoverish.

1856.  Kane, Arct. Expl., I. xvii. 209. Enriching them in return with needles and beads.

  b.  refl. and (rarely) intr. for refl.

1525.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. xcii. [lxxxviii.] 273. Their desyre is euer to enryche and to haue all themselfe.

1549.  Cheke, Hurt Sedit., B i b. But and we beyng wery of pouertye woulde seke to enryche ourselues we shold go [etc.].

1848.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 654. That they were able to enrich themselves by so odious a trade.

1880.  B. Price, in Fraser’s Mag., May, 677. Enabling industry to expand and enrich.

  2.  fig. To make rich, endow, with mental or spiritual wealth.

1502.  Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), I. iv. 43. Sacerdotales the whiche is as moche for to saye as enryched and ennobled with holy mysteryes.

1597.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxxviii. Men specially enritcht with the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

1604.  Bk. Com. Prayer, For R. Family, Enrich them with thy heauenly grace.

1730.  Thomson, Autumn, 1353. Enrich me with the knowledge of thy works.

1838.  Wordsw., Sonn. to Planet Venus. Are we aught enriched in love and meekness?

  3.  To fill or store with wealth; to add to the valuable contents of.

1579.  Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 112. Enrich thy cofers.

1593.  Shaks., Rich. II., I. iii. 141. Till twice fiue Summers haue enrich’d our fields.

1601.  Holland, Pliny, II. 632. Italy … inriched with captaines, souldiers, and slaues.

1634.  Milton, Comus, 505. All the fleecy wealth That doth enrich these downs.

1794.  Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, I. i. 6. The library … was enriched by a collection of the best books in the ancient and modern languages.

1831.  Sir J. Sinclair, Corr., II. 347. Who is travelling to enrich the Zoological Museum at Berlin.

  b.  fig. To increase the wealth or copiousness of (a language); to add to, improve (a science, etc.).

1598.  F. Meres, in Shaks. C. Praise, 21. The English tongue is mightily enriched.

1601.  Holland, Pliny, II. 537. Hee alone did illustrate and inrich it [sculpture] as much, if not more, than all his predecessors.

1664.  Power, Exp. Philos., Pref. 18. Without inriching his discourse with any real Experiment or Observation.

1841.  D’Israeli, Amen. Lit. (1867), 136. Chaucer has been accused of having enriched the language with the spoils of France.

1848.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 256. In that year [1679] our tongue was enriched with two words, Mob and Sham.

1856.  Emerson, Eng. Traits, Lit., Wks. (Bohn), II. 113. Richard Owen has … enriched science with contributions of his own.

  4.  To make (the soil, etc.) rich in productive power; to fertilize.

1601.  Holland, Pliny, XVII. vi. I. 505. They have a great opinion of the same [Marle] that it mightily enricheth it [the ground] and maketh it more plentifull.

1622.  Wither, Sonn., in Farr, S. P. Jas. I. (1848), 216. The hony, milky plaine, That is inricht by Jordan’s watering.

1813.  Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem. (1814), 359. Substances, which in their use and decomposition must enrich the land.

  5.  To make ‘rich’ or splendid with decoration; often with added notion of costliness. Also fig.

1601.  Holland, Pliny, II. 456. The Gaules … were wont to goe to the wars brauely set out and inriched with gold.

1726.  Swift, Gulliver, I. I. ii. 30. The Hilt and Scabbard were Gold enriched with Diamonds.

1742.  Collins, Eclog., III. 3. While ev’ning dews enrich the glitt’ring glade.

a. 1876.  J. H. Newman, Hist. Sk., I. I. ii. 67. A lofty dome, the sides of which are enriched with agate.

  6.  To make ‘richer’ in quality, flavor, color, etc.; to heighten, enhance (excellences).

1620.  Quarles, Div. Poems, Jonah. When heaven’s bright favours shone upon my face, And prosper’d my affairs, inrich’d my joyes.

1756.  P. Browne, Jamaica, 11. The sugar-cane, (a plant whose luxuriant growth requires … abundance of vegetable mould to inrich its sap).

1849.  Kingsley, Lett. (1878), I. 207. The green fern and purple heather have enriched the colouring since the spring.

1884.  W. C. Smith, Kildrostan, 46. You take a wild-flower, And plant it in a garden to enrich Its life and beauty.

  Hence Enriched ppl. a.

1664.  Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 204. Temperately enrich’d Water, (such as is impregnated with Neat and Sheeps-dung...).

1816.  J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, I. 158. The Tudor flower … forms a most beautiful enriched battlement.