What does encrease mean?
"Encrease" is an archaic English spelling of "increase," carrying exactly the same meanings: to grow or become greater in number, amount, intensity, or degree, whether of one's own accord or by the action of an agent. The word circulated widely in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, appearing in Shakespeare's plays and other Early Modern English texts at a time when English spelling had not yet been standardised; writers chose among forms such as "increase," "encrease," and "incres" largely at will. As orthography settled in the eighteenth century, "increase" prevailed and "encrease" fell out of use, surviving today only in historical documents, scholarly editions, and deliberately antique prose. Readers encountering it should simply read it as "increase"; writers should avoid it except when evoking an early modern register, since in modern text it registers as a misspelling rather than a distinct word.
(Archaic) To become greater in size, amount, number, or degree; to grow. Also transitive: to make greater; to add to.
"So shall thy house and substance greatly encrease."
Found almost exclusively in pre-eighteenth-century texts; modern usage should prefer "increase."
(Archaic) Growth or augmentation in size, quantity, or degree; the amount by which something grows.
"The yearly encrease of the flock was recorded in the steward's book."
Rare even in its heyday compared with the verb; superseded entirely by "increase."
As an archaic noun, "encrease" pluralises regularly as "encreases," though this form is seldom encountered even in period sources.
"The ledger noted the encreases in rent owed year upon year."
Shakespeare wrote "encrease" — the extra 'e' was simply one of several spellings in circulation before dictionaries standardised English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of encrease
"Encrease" derives from Anglo-Norman and Old French "/encreiss-", the stem of "encreistre" (to increase), from Latin "increscere" (to grow in, to grow upon), formed from "in-" (in, into) plus "crescere" (to grow, arise), the same root that gives English "crescent," "crescendo," and "increment." The prefix variant with "en-" reflects the French-influenced spelling common in Middle and Early Modern English. Both spellings entered English in the late medieval period, and "encrease" remained a fully acceptable variant through the seventeenth century before standardisation favoured "increase."
Related word forms
How encrease is actually used
Strictly archaic: "encrease" was a common spelling variant in the 16th and 17th centuries, appearing in Shakespeare, the King James Bible-era texts, and other Early Modern English writing. Modern readers will encounter it only in historical documents, literature, or deliberate archaism. In any contemporary context, use "increase" instead; using "encrease" today reads as a spelling error unless the archaic flavour is intentional.
Easily confused with encrease
"Encase" means to enclose or cover something completely, whereas "encrease" is simply an archaic spelling of "increase" (to grow).