"I" Word Origins

improv

Origin

A shortening of improvisation.

improve

Vulgar Latin

From Anglo-Norman emprouwer, ultimately from Vulgar Latin prode ("profitable, advantageous").

improvement

Anglo-Norman

From Anglo-Norman emprouwement; equivalent to improve + -ment.

improvident

Origin

From the Latin improvidens, equivalent to in- + provident.

improvisation

French

From French improvisation, from improvise + -ation.

improvise

Latin

From French improviser, ultimately from Latin improvisus ("unforeseen").

imprudence

Origin

From im- + prudence. From Middle French imprudence, from Latin imprudentia.

imprudent

Latin

From Middle French imprudent, from Latin imprudens, from im- ("not") + prudens ("foreseeing, judicious").

impudence

Latin

From Middle French impudence, from Latin impudentia.

impudent

Latin

From Latin impudens ("shameless"), from in- + pudere ("to feel shame").

impudicity

Origin

From Middle French impudicité, from Latin impudicus (“shameless, immodest”) + Middle French -ité. By surface analysis, im- + pudic + -ity.

impugn

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French impugner, from Latin impugnō, from im- + pugnō (“fight”), from pugnus (“fist”), as in English pugilism (“fighting with fists, boxing”).

impulse

Latin

From Latin impulsus, from impellere ("to push against, urge on").

impulsion

Origin

From Middle English impulsioun, from Old French impulsion, from Latin impulsio, impulsionem.

impulsive

Latin

From Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus.

impulsively

Origin

From impulsive plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

impunity

Latin

From Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitas, built from impunis, "without punishment."

impure

Latin

From Middle French impur, from Latin impūrus.

impurity

Latin

From impure plus the noun-forming suffix -ity, ultimately from Latin impuritas.

imputation

Origin

From Middle French imputation, from Latin imputatio.

Imran

Arabic

From Arabic عِمْرَان (ʕimrān).

IMU

Origin

Borrowed from Hawaiian imu. Doublet of umu.

in

Middle English

PIE word *h₁en Preposition and verb from Middle English in, from Old English in, from Proto-Germanic *in. Adverb, noun and adjective from Middle English in, from Old English inn and inne, from Proto-Germanic *innai. Sense 1/2 "in"/"into" are from the original PIE prefix, with locative/accusative case respectively. Sense 3/4 "qualification"/"means" are from the PIE metaphor of all infinitives coming from locatives.

in a nutshell

New Latin

Calque of New Latin in nuce, derived from an anecdote in Pliny the Elder, who ascribes to Cicero the claim that the whole Iliad was once written on parchment and enclosed within a nutshell (Naturalis Historia 7.21.85). Compare typologically Czech stručný, stručně (< struk).

in case

Middle English

From Middle English [Term?].

in fact

French

From fact (“deed, action”) (now obsolete, except in law). Perhaps ultimately a calque of French en fait.

in general

Middle English

Inherited from Middle English in general.

in other words

Origin

Compare various calques such as Spanish en otras palabras, Portuguese em outras palavras, French en d'autres termes and Italian in altre parole.

in particular

Origin

Related to French en particulier. Compare Spanish en particular and Italian in particolare.

in vitro

Latin

From Latin in vitro, literally "in glass", a reference to the glass vessels used in laboratory work.

Ina

Origin

Short form of given names ending in -ina, e.g. Georgina, Christina, Wilhelmina.

inability

Middle French

Originally inhability ("disqualification for office"), from in- plus ability, echoing Middle French inhabilité.

inaccessibility

Origin

From Middle French inaccessibilité, from Latin inaccessibilitas.

inaccessible

Late Latin

From Middle French inaccessible, from Late Latin inaccessibilis — in- plus accessible.

inaccuracy

Origin

Morphologically in- + accuracy.

inaccurate

Origin

From in- plus accurate.

inaccurately

Origin

From inaccurate + -ly or in- + accurately.

inaction

French

From French inaction, formed from in- plus action.

inactive

Latin

From French inactif, ultimately from Latin in- plus activus.

inadequacy

Origin

From inadequate plus -cy, or in- plus adequacy.

inadequate

Origin

From in- plus adequate.

inadmissible

French

From French inadmissible, formed from in- plus admissible.

inadvertent

Latin

From Latin in-, 'not', and advertere, 'to turn the mind to'.

inadvertently

Origin

From inadvertent plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

inane

Latin

From Latin inānis, meaning "empty" or "useless," of unknown deeper origin.

inanimate

Late Latin

From Late Latin inanimatus, from in- plus animatus, "animated" or "given life."

inanition

Origin

From Middle English inanicioun, borrowed from Old French inanition, itself borrowed from Late Latin inānītio, from inānīre (“to make empty”), from inānis (“empty, vain”); see inane.

inapprehensible

Origin

Either from the Late Latin inapprehensibilis or formed in English as in- + apprehensible.