enact
Meaning
to make a bill or other proposal into law.
to perform a story or play by acting.
Structure
Usage
the government plans to enact new environmental regulations next year.
the students will enact a scene from shakespeare's hamlet.
the council voted to enact the proposed changes to the city charter.
Etymology
the word 'enact' is formed from the prefix 'en-', derived from latin 'in-' meaning 'into' or 'to put into', and the root 'act', from latin 'agere' meaning 'to do, drive, or set in motion'. the literal sense of 'putting into action' evolved from the physical act of performing a drama on stage to the more abstract legal process of giving a proposal the force of law. this semantic shift illustrates how a concrete concept of performance was metaphorically extended to the formal validation of legislative documents.
Analysis
en (from latin 'in-', meaning 'in, into', a prefix forming verbs); act (from latin 'actus', meaning 'a doing, a driving', the root for action).