in-
English
Etymology 1
PIE word |
---|
*h₁én |
From Middle English in-, from Old English in- (“in, into”, prefix), from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én. More at in.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of Latinate origin) from Latin in-, from Latin in, from Proto-Indo-European *en (cognate to Germanic in-, above). Often borrowed from French in- (e.g. incise, incite, incline, indication), or as French en-, originally from Latin in.
Prefix
in-
- in, into
- Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes:
- Into
- Doing; forming verbs.
- inbland is to blend, inblind is to make blind, incloister is to cloister
- Having, possessing
- imbannered is having banners, inaureole is to have a halo, incarnate is be crimson
Usage notes
In direction sense, used in Latinate terms, and opposed by ex-, e-, rather than Germanic out-; senses not always strict antonyms. Examples include infiltrate/exfiltrate, ingress/egress, invade/evade.
Derived terms
Etymology 3
PIE word |
---|
*ne |
From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of latinate origin) from Latin in- (“not”). Sometimes the Latin word has passed through French before reaching English (e.g. incapable, incertainty, inclement, incompatible). Doublet of un-.
Prefix
in-
- (non-productive) Used with certain words to reverse their meaning.
- Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes:
- (non-productive) Added to adjectives to mean not.
- Added to nouns to mean lacking or without.
- Cannot, unable.
- inannihilable is that cannot be annihilated, inappellable is that cannot be appealed against, inassimilable is that cannot be assimilated
Derived terms
- inadaptable
- inamiable
- incogent
- imbalanced
- inable
- inacceptable
- inaccordant
- inaccuracy
- inaccuracy
- inaccuracy
- inaccuracy
- inaccurate
- inacquiescent
- inactivate
- inactivist
- inadaptive
- inaddible
- inadept
- inadequate
- inadequate
- inadherent
- inadherent
- inadmissible
- inadmissible
- inadmissibly
- inadventurous
- inadvisable
- inadvised
- inaesthetic
- inaffable
- inaffectation
- inaffected
- inaffectionate
- inaidable
- inalienable
- inalienable
- inalimental
- inamicable
- inamovable
- inamyloid
- inangular
- inanimate
- inanimate
- inanimate
- inanimated
- inapparent
- inappealable
- inappendiculate
- inapplicable
- inapposite
- inappreciable
- inappreciative
- inapprehensive
- inapproachable
- inappropriable
- inappropriate
- inappropriate
- inarable
- inarguable
- inartful
- inarticulable
- inarticulate
- inarticulate
- inarticulated
- inarticulated
- inarticulation
- inarticulation
- inartificial
- inartistic
- inaspirable
- inaudible
- inauspicious
- inauthentic
- inauthoritative
- inavertible
- inavoidable
- incalculable
- incalculable
- incalculable
- incapable
- incapable
- incapable
- incapacious
- incapacity
- incautelous
- incautious
- incelibacy
- incelibate
- incensurable
- incertain
- inchangeability
- inchaste
- incircumscription
- incircumspect
- incirrate
- incivil
- incoagulable
- incoalescence
- incoercible
- incoercible
- incoercible
- incoexistence
- incogitative
- incognizable
- inimicable
- inactivism
- inappetent
- inclarity
- imbonity
- inability
- inability
- inabstinence
- inaccess
- inacquaintance
- inaction
- inadaptation
- inadhesion
- inæsthetical
- inanimate
- inanimation
- inaperturate
- inapparency
- inappetence
- inapplication
- inappreciation
- inapprehension
- inartistic
- inattendance
- inattentive
- incaution
- incelebrity
- inchastity
- incivil
- incivism
- incognizance
Translations
|
Catalan
Prefix
Derived terms
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (before a consonant) /ɛ̃/, (before a vowel) /in/
Audio (file)
Derived terms
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪn/
Etymology 1
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *en. More at in and inne-.
Prefix
in-
Usage notes
- In- is more frequent in nominalisations of verbal phrases: in Betrieb nehmen → Inbetriebnahme, in Stand setzen → Instandsetzung. However, these formations cannot be considered to involve a prefix, but rather the preposition in directly.
Alternative forms
- inne- (in verbs)
Prefix
in-
- (rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in, into
- in- + filtrieren (“to filter”) → infiltrieren (“to infiltrate”)
Prefix
in-
- (rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in-, un- (indicates negation)
- Synonyms: un-, nicht-
- in- + konsequent (“consistent”) → inkonsequent (“inconsistent”)
Derived terms
Gothic
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɪn]
- Hyphenation: in
Derived terms
Further reading
- “in-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Irish
Prefix
in-
- (productive) able to, -able (+ past participle)
- able to, -able, fit for, fit to be (+ genitive of a (verbal) noun)
- in- + feidhm (“function”) → infheidhme (“able to function, serviceable”)
- in- + aistear (“journey”) → inaistir (“seaworthy”)
- in- + leigheas (“healing”) → inleighis (“curable”)
Etymology 2
A prefixed form of the preposition i (“in”). Partly inherited from Old Irish in- (“in”), e.g. in- + ceann (“head”) → inchinn (“brain”), but most words with this suffix are loans or loan translations of ultimately Latin or Greek origin, e.g. ionscóp (“endoscope”)‚ ionsoilsigh (“illuminate”).
Alternative forms
- ion- (broad)
Derived terms
Mutation
Irish mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
in- | n-in- | hin- | t-in- |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “in-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Entries containing “in-” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
Italian
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /in/
- Hyphenation: in-
- IPA(key): [iɱ] (before f or v)
- IPA(key): [iŋ] (before c or g)
Etymology 1
From Latin in-, a prefixation of in (“in, into”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én.
Prefix
in-
- (forms verbs) used to denote derivation
- (obsolete, rare) used as an intensifier
Usage notes
- The prefix is used together with a verbal ending suffix to derive causative verbs from adjectives or nouns:
- Examples:
- in- + arido (“dry”, “arid”) → inaridire (“to parch”, “to dry up”)
- in- + fiamma (“flame”) → infiammare (“to enflame”, “to kindle”)
- When used with verbs, it's usually a reflection of derivation in Latin, and retains the original meaning of “into”, “inside”:
Etymology 2
From Latin in- (“un-, not”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, zero grade form of the sentence negative *ne.
Usage notes
- The suffix is usually found in adjectives (and nouns therefrom derived):
- Examples:
- in- + coerente (“coherent”, “consistent”) → incoerente (“incoherent”, “inconsistent”)
- in- + abile (“able”, “capable”) → inabile (“unable”, “incapable”)
- in- + felice (“happy”) → infelice (“unhappy”)
- in- + desiderabile (“desirable; advisable”) → indesiderabile (“undesirable, unwelcome”)
- More rarely, it is found in adjectives derived from nouns:
Derived terms
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /in/, [ɪn]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /in/, [in]
Etymology 1
From Proto-Italic *ən-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“not”), zero-grade form of the negative particle *ne (“not”). Akin to ne-, nē, nī.[1]
Usage notes
Affixed primarily to adjectives.
The pronunciation or spelling of the prefix may be changed in some situations:
- Before b, p or m, it may become im-. The spelling in- is also found in this context.
- Before l or r, it may become il- or ir-, respectively. These assimilations only became usual in post-Augustan Latin: until a late date, the usual Roman spellings were inl- and inr-.[2]
- in- + labōrātus (“worked, toilsome”) → illabōrātus (“unworked, uncultivated”) (post-Augustan) or inlabōrātus.
- in- + reverēns (“reverent”) → irreverēns (“irreverent”) (post-Augustan) or inreverēns.
- Before gn and sometimes n, it becomes ig- (pronounced [ɪŋ-]).
- Before f or s, it becomes īn- (pronounced [ĩː-]).
- Before g, c or q, the spelling remains in-, but the pronunciation becomes [ɪŋ-].
Descendants
- → Catalan: in- (sometimes i-, or im- before p, b and m)
- → French: in-
- → Italian: in-
- → Middle English: in-
- → Portuguese: in- (im- before p or b, i- before l, n, or m, and ir- before r)
- → Sicilian: n- (m- before p, b or m, il- before l, and ir- before r)
- → Spanish: in- (im- before p or b, i- before l, and ir- before r)
Prefix
in-
- Prepositional prefix, generally attached to verbs to derive new verbs with a range of meanings.
- in, within, inside
- against; into; on, upon; to, towards
- in- + gradior (“step, go”) → ingredior (“go into, enter”)
- in- + nūbō (“marry”) → innūbō (“marry into”)
- in- + cadō (“fall”) → incidō (“fall into, fall upon”)
- in- + pangō (“set, fix, settle, fasten”) → impingō (“fasten upon, dash against, strike against”)
- in- + flīgō (“strike”) → īnflīgō (“strike on, strike against, inflict, impose upon”)
- in- + vocō (“call”) → invocō (“call on, call upon, invoke”)
- Used as an intensifier.
- Attached to inchoative verbs, can express the sense of a change being started or reaching partial completion
Usage notes
Affixed primarily to verbs.
The same spelling rules apply as for Etymology 1 above; see the usage notes there.
Not to be confused with Etymology 1 above, which means "not".
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 3
From Proto-Indo-European *énu (“along, after”). Cognate with Sanskrit अनु (ánu-, “after”), Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬎 (anu, “after; corresponding to”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎵𐎺 (a-nu-v /anuv/), and Gothic 𐌹𐌽𐌿 (inu, “without”) (whose meaning developed “along” > “past” > “without”).[5]
Derived terms
References
- Walde, Alois, Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938) “1. in-”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 676f.
- William Gardner Hale and Carl Darling Buck, 1903. Latin Grammar, page 25
- Walde, Alois, Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938) “2. in”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 677f.
- Haverling, Gerd. "On Prefixes and Actionality in Classical and Late Latin." Acta Linguistica Hungarica, vol. 50, no. 1–2, 2003, pp. 113–35, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26189816. Accessed 6 Apr. 2022. Page 117
- Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, pages 241-44
Further reading
- “in-”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 301
Maltese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪn/
Usage notes
- Used before the letter n. For details on usage, see the main lemma.
Northern Ndebele
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-n-.
Prefix
in-
- Class 9 noun prefix.
Usage notes
The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).
Ojibwe
Old English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /in/
Prefix
in-
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *in- (“strong”, adj), from Proto-Indo-European *indʰro- (“swelling; strong”), from *oyd- (“to swell”).
Prefix
in-
Derived terms
Old Irish
Etymology 1
From conflated Proto-Celtic *en- and Proto-Celtic *eni-; these two are variants of the same prefix. Prefix form of i. Conflated with ind- quite early.
Alternative forms
Usage notes
Very frequently replaced by ad- in pretonic position in verbs where the meaning ‘in’ is not transparent, e.g.:
Sometimes replaced by as- in pretonic position in verbs where the meaning ‘in’ is not transparent, e.g.:
- as·dloing from *in-dlong-
Derived terms
References
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2017) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, pages 518–22
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix
in-
Etymology 3
From Proto-Celtic *an-. In is the regular outcome of *an before voiced stops unless lowered to an via a-affection.
Usage notes
Used before d and g and occasionally other sounds.[1]
Derived terms
References
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2017) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 872, page 544
Further reading
- Pedersen, Holger (1913) Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen (in German), volume II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, →ISBN, page 11
Portuguese
Derived terms
Spanish
Derived terms
Further reading
- “in-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Swazi
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-n-.
Prefix
in-
- Class 9 noun prefix.
Usage notes
The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).
Tagalog
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʔin/, [ʔɪn]
- Hyphenation: in-
Derived terms
Xhosa
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-n-.
Prefix
in-
- Class 9 noun prefix.
Usage notes
The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).
Zulu
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-n-.
Prefix
ín-
- Class 9 noun prefix.
Usage notes
The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v). Before l, m or n, the prefix becomes i-.
References
- C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “im-, in-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “im-, in-”