"I" Word Origins

induction

Latin

From Old French induction, from Latin inductio, related to inducere ("to lead in").

indulge

Latin

From Latin indulgere ("to indulge, be lenient toward").

indulgence

Latin

From Middle French indulgence, from Latin indulgentia.

indulgent

Latin

From Latin indulgens, present participle of indulgere ("to be lenient").

induline

Origin

Perhaps from indigo; see -ine.

induration

Origin

From Middle English induracioun, from Old French induracion (“hardness, obstinacy”) or directly from Medieval Latin induratiō.

industrial

French

From French industriel, built from industry plus -al.

industrialist

Origin

From industrial plus the suffix -ist.

industrialized

Origin

From industrialize plus -ed.

industrious

Late Latin

From Middle French industrieux, from Late Latin industriosus ("diligent"), related to industria ("diligence").

industry

Latin

From Old French industrie, from Latin industria ("diligence, activity"), from industrius ("diligent, active").

Indy

Origin

A shortening of "Indianapolis" and of "independent" plus -y.

inebriant

Origin

From Latin inēbriāns (“intoxicating”).

inebriate

Origin

From Latin inēbriō, inēbriāre, from ēbrius (“drunk”).

inebriated

Latin

From Latin inebriatus, past participle of inebriare ("to intoxicate"), from in- plus ebrius ("drunk").

inebriation

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin inēbriātiō, inēbriātiōnem (“drunkenness”).

inedible

Origin

From in- (\"not\") plus edible.

ineffective

Latin

From in- ("not") + effective, itself from Latin efficere, "to accomplish."

ineffectual

Latin

From in- + effectual, from Latin effectus, "accomplished."

inefficiency

Latin

From in- + efficiency, from Latin efficientia.

inefficient

Latin

From in- + efficient, from Latin efficientem, "effective, powerful."

inelegance

Origin

From Middle French inélégance, from Late Latin inelegantia.

inelegant

Origin

From Middle French inélégant, from Latin inēlegāns; equivalent to in- + elegant.

ineligibility

Origin

From French inéligibilité, from Middle French.

ineligible

Origin

From French inéligible.

ineluctable

Origin

From Middle French inéluctable (whence in- + e- and -able), from Latin inēlūctābilis, from in- + ēlūctor (“struggle out”) + -bilis.

inenarrable

Origin

Learned borrowing from French inénarrable, from Latin inēnārrābilis (“indescribable”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + ēnārrābilis (“describable, explainable”). Ēnārrābilis is derived from ēnārrāre + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon); ēnārrāre is the present active infinitive of ēnārrō (“to explain in detail, expound”), from ē- (a variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out; thoroughly’)) + narrō (“to say; to relate, tell; to describe; to recount, report”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”)). The English word is analysable as in- + enarrable. Compare ignorant and -able for the components.

inenubilable

Origin

From English in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + Latin ēnūbilāre (“to clear of clouds or mist; (figurative) to clear of obscurity”) + English -able (suffix meaning ‘able to be done’ forming adjectives), possibly coined by the English critic and essayist Max Beerbohm (1872–1956): see the 1903 and 1911 quotations below. By surface analysis, in- + e- + Latin nubil- + -able. Ēnūbilāre is derived from ē- (a variant of ex- (prefix denoting privation)) + nūbilus (“cloudy, overcast; (figurative) beclouded, confused, troubled”) (from nūbēs (“cloud; (figurative) concealment, obscurity”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)newdʰ- (“to cover”)) + -āre.

inept

Latin

From French inepte, from Latin ineptus, "not fitting" — in- + aptus, the same root that gives English apt.

ineptitude

Origin

From Latin ineptitūdō. By surface analysis, inept + -itude.

inequality

Medieval Latin

From Old French inequalité, from Medieval Latin inaequālitās — in- ("not") + aequālis ("equal").

inequitable

Origin

From French inéquitable. Morphologically in- + equitable.

inequity

Origin

From in- + equity. Piecewise doublet of iniquity.

inert

Latin

From French inerte, from Latin iners, "inactive, unskilled" — in- + ars, "skill."

inertia

Latin

From Latin inertia, "lack of skill, inactivity," from iners — in- + ars, "skill." The physics sense was introduced by the astronomer Johannes Kepler.

inertial

Origin

From inertia + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

inescapable

Origin

From in- + escapable, from escape.

inestimable

Origin

From Middle French inestimable, from Latin inaestimābilis, from in (“un-”, “not”) + aestimābilis (“estimable”). Equivalent to in- + estimable.

inevitability

Origin

From inevitable + the noun-forming suffix -ity.

inevitable

Latin

From Latin inēvītābilis, "unavoidable" — in- + ēvītāre, "to avoid," from ē- ("out") + vītāre ("to shun").

inevitably

Origin

From inevitable + -ly.

inexact

Origin

From French inexact.

inexcusable

Latin

From Middle French inexcusable, from Latin inexcusabilis.

inexhaustible

Latin

From in- + exhaustible, from exhaust, ultimately from Latin exhaurire, "to drain out."

inexorable

Latin

From Latin inexōrābilis, "relentless" — in- + exōrābilis, "able to be moved by pleading," from exōrāre, "to win over by begging."

inexorably

Origin

From inexorable + -ly.

inexpensive

Latin

From in- + expensive, from Latin expensa, "expenses."

inexperience

Late Latin

From French inexpérience, from Late Latin inexperientia.