"I" Word Origins

inconsistent

Origin

From in- ("not") plus consistent.

inconsolable

Latin

From Middle French inconsolable, from Latin inconsolabilis, from in- ("not") plus consolari ("to comfort").

inconsonance

Origin

From in- + consonance.

inconspicuous

Late Latin

From Late Latin incōnspicuus, from in- ("not") plus conspicuus ("visible, clear").

inconstant

Origin

From Middle English inconstant, inconstante, inconstaunte, from Middle French inconstant and its etymon, Latin incōnstāns.

inconstructible

Origin

From in- + constructible.

incontinence

Latin

From Old French incontinence, from Latin incontinentia, from in- ("not") plus continere ("to hold together, restrain").

incontinent

Latin

From Old French incontinent, from Latin incontinens, from in- ("not") plus continens ("holding together, restrained").

incontrovertible

Latin

From in- ("not") plus controvertible, ultimately from Latin controversia ("dispute").

inconvenience

Late Latin

From Old French inconvenience, from Late Latin inconvenientia ("inconsistency, incongruity").

inconvenient

Latin

From Middle French inconvenient, from Latin inconvenientem, from in- ("not") plus convenire ("to fit, be suitable").

incorporate

Late Latin

From Late Latin incorporātus, from in- ("in") plus corpus ("body") — literally "to form into a body."

incorporation

Origin

From Middle English incorporacioun, from Old French incorporacion, from Late Latin incorporatio. By surface analysis, incorporate + -ion.

incorporeal

Origin

From Latin incorporeus + -al. By surface analysis, in- + corporeal.

incorrect

Middle French

From Middle French incorrect, built from in- ("not") plus correct.

incorrectly

Origin

From incorrect plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

incorrigible

Latin

From Middle French incorrigible, from Latin incorrigibilis, from in- ("not") plus corrigere ("to correct").

incorruptible

Latin

From Middle French incorruptible, from Latin incorruptibilis, from in- ("not") plus corrumpere ("to destroy, spoil, bribe").

increase

Latin

From Anglo-Norman encreistre, from Latin increscere ("to grow"), from in- plus crescere ("to grow").

increasing

Origin

From increase plus the participial suffix -ing.

increasingly

Origin

From increasing plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

incredibility

Origin

From Latin incredibilitas, equivalent to incredible + -ity.

incredible

Latin

From Latin incrēdibilis, from in- ("not") plus crēdibilis ("believable"), from crēdere ("to believe").

incredibly

Origin

From incredible plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

incredulity

Origin

Attested since 1430. From Middle English incredulite, from Old French incredulité, from Late Latin incredulitas, from Latin incredulus (“unbelieving”) + -itas (“-ity”), equivalent to incredulous + -ity.

incredulous

Latin

From Latin incredulus, formed from in- 'not' and credulus 'believing', from credere 'to believe'.

increment

Origin

From Middle English encrement, increment, from Latin incrēmentum, from incrēscō (whence increase), from in- + crēscō (“grow”). Equivalent to increase + -ment.

incremental

Latin

From increment, which comes from Latin incrementum 'growth, increase', from increscere 'to grow'.

incriminate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin incrīminātus, from Latin in- plus crīmen ("crime, accusation").

incriminating

Origin

From incriminate plus the adjective-forming suffix -ing.

incubate

Origin

First attested in 1641; borrowed from Latin incubātus, an alternative to incubitus, perfect passive participle of incubō (“to hatch”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + cubō (“to lie”).

incubation

Latin

From Latin incubātiō, from incubāre ("to lie on, brood over").

incubative

Origin

From incubate + -ive.

incubator

Origin

From incubate plus the agent-forming suffix -or.

incubus

Latin

From Late Latin incubus 'nightmare', from incubare 'to lie upon'.

inculcate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin inculcātus, perfect passive participle of inculcō (“impress upon, force upon”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + calcō (“tread upon, trample”), from calx (“heel”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

inculpability

Origin

From in- + culpability.

inculpate

Origin

From Late Latin inculpo.

incumbency

Origin

From incumbent + -cy.

incumbent

Latin

From Latin incumbēns ("reclining, resting upon"), the present participle of incumbere, from in- plus a root meaning "to lie down."

incur

Latin

From Anglo-Norman encurir, from Latin incurrere ("to run into, encounter"), from in- plus currere ("to run").

incurable

Late Latin

From Old French incurable, from Late Latin incurabilis, from in- ("not") plus curare ("to cure, take care of").

incurious

Origin

From Latin incūriōsus (“careless”), from in- (“un-”) and cūriōsus (“careful”). Attested since the 1560s, originally meaning ‘heedless and negligent.’ The sense of ‘uninquisitive’ dates from the 1610s, and the sense of ‘unworthy of attention’ from 1747.

incursion

Latin

From Old French incursion, from Latin incursiō ("an attack, assault"), from incurrere ("to run into").

incursive

Origin

See incursion, incur; compare French incursif.

incurvate

Origin

The verb is first attested in 1578, the adjective in 1647; borrowed from Latin incurvātus, perfect passive participle of incurvō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Ind

Middle French

From Middle French Inde, from Latin India.

indebt

Origin

From Middle English endetten, Old French endetter, from en- + detter, from dette (“debt”), by surface analysis, in- + debt. See debt.