"I" Word Origins

intervene

Latin

From Latin intervenire, "to come between," from inter- ("between") plus venire ("to come").

intervention

Latin

From Latin interventio, from intervenire, "to come between."

interventionism

Origin

From French interventionnisme. By surface analysis, intervention + -ism.

interview

Old French

From Old French entrevue, "a sight of each other," from entre- ("between") plus veoir ("to see").

interviewer

Origin

From interview plus the agent suffix -er.

intestinal

Latin

From Latin intestinalis, from intestinum, "intestine."

intestine

Latin

From Latin intestinum, "internal," describing an organ located inside the body.

intimacy

Origin

From intimate plus the noun suffix -cy.

intimate

Latin

From Latin intimatus, from intimus, "innermost," the superlative of intus, "within."

intimation

Origin

From Middle French intimation, from Latin intimatio. By surface analysis, intimate + -ion.

intimidate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin intimidare, from in- ("into") plus timidus ("afraid" or "timid").

intimidation

Origin

From intimidate plus the noun suffix -ion.

into

Old English

From Old English into, formed from in plus to.

intolerable

Latin

From Latin intolerabilis, from in- ("not") plus tolerabilis ("bearable").

intolerance

Latin

From French intolerance, or directly from Latin intolerantia, from in- ("not") plus tolerantia ("tolerance").

intolerant

Latin

From French intolérant or Latin intolerans, from in- ("not") plus tolerans ("tolerant").

intonation

Latin

From Medieval Latin intonare, "to sing or chant", built on Latin tonus, "tone".

intone

Origin

From Middle English entune, entone, from Old French entoner, from Medieval Latin intonō, from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intonate. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare.

intort

Origin

Latin intortus, past participle of intoquere (“to twist”) equivalent to in- (“in-”) + torquereto (“twist”).

intoxicate

Origin

First attested in 1450, in Middle English; from Middle English intoxicaten, from intoxicat(e) (“(of a weapon or drug) smeared, anointed or filled with poison; (of a human being, animal) poisoned, intoxicated”, also used as the past participle of intoxicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from intoxicātus, perfect passive participle of intoxicō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Late Latin toxicō (“to smear, anoint with poison”), from toxicus (“toxic, poisonous”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón). By surface analysis, in- + toxic + -ate.

intracranial

Latin

Formed from intra- ("within") and cranial, from Latin cranium, "skull."

intramuscular

Origin

From Late Latin intramuscularis, from prefix intra-, "within", + musculum, "muscle".

intraneous

Origin

From Latin intrāneus (“from within”).

intransigence

Origin

From French intransigeance, noun form of intransigeant, borrowed from Spanish intransigente at the end of the nineteenth century. Morphologically, from in- + transiger + -ant, literally "uncompromising".

intransigent

Origin

Borrowed from French intransigeant, from Spanish intransigente, from Latin in- (“un-, not”) + trānsigēns, present participle of trānsigō (“to come to an understanding”), from trāns (“across”) + agō (“to do”).

intraracial

Origin

From intra- + racial.

intravenous

Latin

From intra- ("within") + venous ("relating to veins"), literally "inside the veins."

intrepid

Latin

From French intrépide, from Latin intrepidus, from in- ("not") + trepidus ("anxious, nervous") — literally "not nervous."

intricacies

Latin

From Latin intricare, "to entangle", from tricae, meaning trifles or perplexities.

intricacy

Origin

From intric(ate) + -acy.

intricate

Latin

From Latin intrīcātus, "entangled," the past participle of intricāre.

intricateness

Origin

From intricate + -ness.

intrigue

Latin

From French intrigue, ultimately from Latin intrīcō ("to entangle, perplex") — the same root that gives us "intricate."

intrigued

French

From French intriguer, from Italian intrigare, from Latin intricare 'to entangle', which also gives intricate.

intriguer

Origin

From intrigue + -er.

intrinsic

Latin

From Latin intrīnsecus, "on the inside, inwardly," from an assumed intrim ("within") + secus ("on the side of").

intro

Origin

A clipped, informal form of "introduction."

introduce

Latin

From Latin intrōdūcō, from intro- ("inward") + dūcō ("to lead") — literally "to lead in."

introduction

Latin

From Latin intrōductiō, from intrōdūcō ("to lead in").

introductory

Late Latin

From Late Latin intrōductōrius, from Latin intrōductus.

intromission

Origin

From Medieval Latin intrōmissiō, intrōmissiōn- (“introduction, admission; usurpation”), intro- (“into”) + missiō (“sending”), from Latin intrōmissus (“sent in, introduced, let in, admitted”), perfect passive participle of intrōmittō (“send in, let in”).

introspect

Origin

From Latin intrōspectus, past participle of intrōspiciō. By surface analysis, intro- + -spect.

introspection

Latin

From Latin introspicere 'to look into', from intro- 'inwards' plus specere 'to look'.

introspective

Origin

From Latin intro "inward, within" (see intro-) + Latin specere "look at".

introvert

Latin

From Latin "intro-" (inward) plus "vertere" (to turn). The psychological sense was popularised in the early twentieth century through the work of Carl Jung.

introvert and extrovert

Latin

Both are built from Latin vertere 'to turn': intro- 'inward' plus vertere, and extra- 'outside' plus vertere. So the words literally mean inward-turned and outward-turned.

introverted

Origin

From introvert + -ed.

intrude

Latin

From Latin intrūdere, from in- ("in") + trūdere ("to thrust, push").