-en²

Also ‑n.

Forming adjectives from nouns.

Old English, of Germanic origin.

Adjectives refer to an object made of or consisting of the material described by the noun, as in earthen or woollen. In most cases, the literal sense is now given by the noun, with the adjective having a poetical or metaphorical meaning, as in the difference between a gold watch (literal) and a golden harvest (metaphorical). Adjectives often used metaphorically include ashen, flaxen, leaden, oaken, silken, and wooden. A few have lost the e of the ending following a final r in the stem: silvern.