EAN

Meanings

1. Initialism of European Article Numbering: a barcode symbology whose main variant, EAN-13, encodes thirteen digits, differing from UPC-A in that three of the digits in the left half are reversed so as to encode an additional digit.
2. Acronym of enriched air nitrox.

1. To bring forth young; to yean.

Etymology

From Middle English enen, from Old English ēanian (“to yean, bring forth young, bring forth lambs”), from Proto-West Germanic *aunōn, from Proto-Germanic *aunōną (“to bring forth lambs”). An alternate etymology derives the Old English word from a corruption of Old English ēacnian (“to add, increase, be enlarged, be augmented, become pregnant, conceive, bring forth, produce”), from ēacen (“increased, augmented”), from ēaca (“an addition, increase, eeking”), from Proto-Germanic *aukô (“increase”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- (“to increase”). More at eke.