"I" Word Origins

inobedient

Origin

From Middle English inobedient, from Old French inobedient, from Latin inoboediens (“not obedient”), present participle of inoboedire (“to disobey”). Compare French inobedient. See obedient.

inoculate

Origin

First attested in c. 1440; inherited from Middle English inoculaten (“to graft”), from Latin inoculātus, perfect passive participle of inoculō (“to ingraft an eye or bud of one plant into (another), implant”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + oculus (“an eye”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

inoculation

Latin

From Latin inoculatio, from inoculare, "to graft," literally "to implant an eye (bud)" — from in- plus oculus, "eye."

inoculator

Origin

Latin: compare French inoculateur.

inoculum

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin inoculum.

inoperable

Origin

Formed from in- ("not") plus operable.

inopportune

Latin

From Latin inopportunus — in- ("not") plus opportunus ("fitting, timely").

inordinate

Origin

From Middle English inordinat, from Latin inōrdinātus (“not arranged, disordered, irregular”), from in- + ordinatus, past participle of ōrdināre (“to arrange, order”).

inorganic

Origin

Formed from in- ("not") plus organic.

inosculate

Origin

First attested in 1672; from in- + osculate or its Latin etymon ōsculātus, perfect active participle of Latin osculor (“to kiss”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)) from ōsculum (“a kiss”). The adjective is a back-formation from inosculation, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Inoue

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 井上 (Inoue).

inpatient

Origin

From in- (“internal”) + patient.

input

Middle English

From Middle English inputten, formed from in- plus put.

inquest

Latin

From Old French enqueste, from Latin inquirere, "to inquire into" — ultimately in- plus quaerere, "to seek."

inquietude

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin inquiētūdō.

inquinate

Origin

From Latin inquināre (“polluting”).

inquire

Latin

From Latin inquirere, "to seek for" — in- plus quaerere, "to seek."

inquiry

Latin

From Old French enquerre, from Latin inquirere, "to seek into" — later respelled to match the Latin more closely.

inquisition

Latin

From Latin inquisitio, from inquirere, "to inquire into"; its harsh connotation comes from the historical Spanish Inquisition.

inquisitive

Late Latin

From Old French inquisitif, from Late Latin inquisitivus, from Latin inquirere, "to inquire."

inquisitor

Latin

From Latin inquisitor, from inquirere, "to inquire into."

INRI

Latin

An initialism of the Latin Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'.

inrounding

Origin

Calque of Swedish inrundning.

insane

Latin

From Latin insanus, "unsound in mind" — in- ("not") plus sanus ("sound, healthy").

insanely

Origin

Built from insane plus the adverb suffix -ly.

insanity

Latin

From Latin insanitas, built the same way as insane — in- ("not") plus sanus ("sound, healthy").

insatiable

Latin

From Latin insatiabilis — in- ("not") plus satiare, "to satisfy, fill up."

insatiate

Origin

From Late Middle English insaciate, insaciat, insacyate (“insatiable”), from Latin insatiātus, from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + satiātus (“satisfied; having been satisfied”) (perfect passive participle of satiō (“to satisfy”), from satis (“enough; filled; plenty”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂- (“to satiate, satisfy”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

inscribe

Origin

Borrowed from Latin īnscrībō, from in- (“upon”) and scrībō (“to write”).

inscription

Latin

From Latin inscriptio, from inscribere, "to write on/into" — in- plus scribere, "to write."

inscrutable

Late Latin

From Late Latin inscrutabilis — in- ("not") plus scrutari, "to examine closely."

inseam

English

A compound of in and seam, from the seam on the inner side of a trouser leg.

insect

Latin

From Latin insectum, "cut into" — because an insect body appears divided into segments (head, thorax, abdomen). It is a loan translation of the Greek entomon, "insect," which means the same thing.

insecticide

French

From French insecticide — insect plus -icide, "killer of."

insectivore

Origin

From French insectivore. In the zoological sense, coined by English philosopher and historian of science William Whewell in 1840 as an adaptation of Cuvier's coinage, French insectivore. The French terms reflect scientific New Latin origins. By surface analysis, insect + -i- + -vore.

insecure

Origin

Formed from in- ("not") plus secure.

insecurity

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin insecuritas, built from insecure plus -ity.

inseminate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin inseminātus, the perfect passive participle of insemināre (“to sow”). By surface analysis, in- + seminate.

insensibility

Origin

From Old French insensibilité, from Late Latin insensibilitas.

insensible

Origin

From Middle English insensible, from Old French insensible, from Late Latin īnsēnsibilis.

insensitive

Origin

Formed from in- ("not") plus sensitive.

inseparable

Latin

From Latin inseparabilis — in- ("not") plus separabilis ("separable").

insert

Latin

From Latin insertus, past participle of inserere, "to join or bind together" — in- plus serere, "to join."

insertion

Latin

From insert, ultimately from Latin inserere ("to put in"), plus the noun-forming suffix -ion.

inshallah

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic, literally "if God has willed it."

inside

Middle English

From Middle English ynneside, formed from in + side.

insidely

Origin

From inside + -ly.

insider

Origin

From inside + the agent suffix -er.