in-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "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.

Alternative forms

i-, il-
en-

Prefix

in-

in, into, towards, within.
inhold, inmove, intake, inthrill
inborn, inbound
infield, infighting, insight, intalk, inwork

Synonyms

(within): intra-, en-/em-/im-, end-/endo-

Antonyms

(within): out-, ex-, exo-, ecto-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with in-

terms derived from in-: toward

inbound
inbox
ingrown
inlaid
inner
input
inside
inward

Translations

in, into, towards

French: in- (fr) en- (fr)
Galician: in-
Greek: εισ- (eis-), εν- (el) (en-)
Italian: in- (it)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: inn- (no)
Portuguese: em- (pt), in- (pt)

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:
- il- before l, e.g. illusion
- im- before b, m, or p, e.g. imperil
- ir- before r, e.g. irrigate

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.

Synonyms

(within): intra-, en-/em-/im-, end-/endo-

Antonyms

(within): out-, ex-, exo-, ecto-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with in-

terms derived from in-: direction

infiltrate
ingress
invade

terms derived from in-: tendency

inflammable

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). Compare un-.

Prefix

in-

(non-productive) Used with certain words to reverse their meaning
Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes:
- ig- before n, e.g. ignoble
- il- before l, e.g. illegal
- im- before b, m, or p, e.g. improper
- ir- before r, e.g. irresistible
1. (non-productive) Added to adjectives to mean not
  inedible
  inaccurate
2. (non-productive) Added to nouns to mean lacking or without
  incredulity
  ineptitude

Synonyms

(not): a-, an-, dys-, i-/il-/im-/ir-, mal-, non-, un-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with in-

terms derived from in-: reversing meaning

inability
inaccuracy
inaccurate
inadmissible
inanimate
incapable
incredible
incredulity
incredulous
indefinite
inedible
ineffable
inequitable
infinite
inhospitable
inimitable
injustice
insobriety
intolerance
inviolable
invisible

Related terms

em-
en-

Translations

reversal of meaning

Armenian: ան- (an-)
Catalan: in- (ca)
Czech: ne- (cs)
Esperanto: mal- (eo)
Finnish: epä- (fi)
French: in- (fr)
Greek: α- (el) (a-), αν- (el) (an-)
Hebrew: אִי‎ (he) (i), בִּלְתִּי‎ (he) (bílti)
Ido: ne-
Indonesian: in-
Italian: in- (it)
Japanese: 不 (ja) (ふ, fu)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: ikke- (no), u- (no), van- (no), mis-
Nynorsk: ikkje- (nn), u-, van-, mis-
Polish: nie- (pl)
Portuguese: in- (pt)
Russian: не (ru) (ne)
Spanish: in- (es)
Swedish: o- (sv), in- (sv)

Anagrams

N.I., NI, ni

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Prefix

in- (before l il-, before b, m, or p im-, before r ir-)

in- ; un- (reversal of meaning or lack of an attribute)

Derived terms

Catalan terms prefixed with in-

Dutch

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Prefix

in-

from the adverb in
prepended to a noun or adjective, it reinforces the quality signified thereby
prepended to an adjective to negate its meaning; occurs mostly in borrowed terms from French: in-, un-

Dutch terms prefixed with in-

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (before a consonant) /ɛ̃/, (before a vowel) /in/
Audio (file)

Prefix

in-

in-; un- (indicates negation)

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with in-

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɪn/

Etymology 1

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *en. More at in.

Prefix

in-

(rare) in, into
Synonyms: ein-, inne-
‎in- + ‎Schrift (“writing”) → ‎Inschrift (“inscription”)
‎in- + ‎Sasse (“someone who sits”) → ‎Insasse (“passenger, inhabitant”)
‎in- + ‎Begriff (“concept”) → ‎Inbegriff (“embodiment”)

Usage notes

In- is more frequent in nominalisations of verbal phrases: in Betrieb nehmen → Inbetriebnahme, in Stand setzen → Instandsetzung. However, these formations probably cannot be considered to involve a prefix, but the rather the preposition in directly.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin in-.

Prefix

in-

(rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in, into
‎in- + ‎filtrieren (“to filter”) → ‎infiltrieren (“to infiltrate”)

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin in-.

Prefix

in-

(rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in-, un- (indicates negation)
Synonyms: un-, nicht-
‎in- + ‎konsequent (“consistent”) → ‎inkonsequent (“inconsistent”)

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with in-

Gothic

Romanization

in-

Romanization of 𐌹𐌽-

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch in-, from French in-, from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɪn]
Hyphenation: in

Prefix

in-

in-: used with certain words to reverse their meaning.

Derived terms

Indonesian terms prefixed with in-

Irish

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Prefix

in-

capable of, fit for, fit to be
Antonym: do-

Etymology 2

From i, in (“in”).

Prefix

in-

en-, in-, il-, im-, ir-
endo-
intra-

Alternative forms

ion- (broad)

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with in-

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.

Italian

Alternative forms

im- (assimilated form before b-/m-/p-)
il- (assimilated form before l-)
ir- (assimilated form before r-)

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”:

Example:

‎in- + ‎fondere → ‎infondere (“to infuse”, “to instill”) (cfr. Latin īnfundere)

In some cases, the meaning of “into” can also be found in verbs of modern derivation:

Example:

‎in- + ‎carcere (“jail”, “prison”) → ‎incarcerare (“to imprison”, “to incarcerate”)

Etymology 2

From Latin in- (“un-, not”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, zero grade form of the sentence negative *ne.

Prefix

in-

used to denote negation or opposition or privation; un-; in-; a-

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:

Example:

‎in- + ‎colore (“colour/color”) → ‎incolore (“uncoloured/uncolored”)

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with in-

Anagrams

ni, nì

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /in/, [ɪn]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /in/, [in]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *en-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“not”), zero-grade form of the negative particle *ne (“not”). Akin to ne-, nē, nī.[1]

Prefix

in-

un-, non-, not

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.
‎in- + ‎barba (“beard”) → ‎imberbis (“beardless”) or inberbis.
‎in- + ‎patiēns (“patient”) → ‎impatiēns (“impatient”) or inpatiēns.
‎in- + ‎mātūrus (“mature”) → ‎immātūrus (“immature”) or inmātūrus.
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-]).
‎in- + ‎gnārus (“knowlegable”) → ‎ignārus (“ignorant”)
‎in- + ‎nōmen (“name”) → ‎ignōminia (“dishonor”)
Before f or s, it becomes īn- (pronounced [ĩː-]).
‎in- + ‎fīnītus (“finite”) → ‎īnfīnītus (“endless, infinite”)
‎in- + ‎sānus (“healthy, sane”) → ‎īnsānus (“mad, insane”)
Before g, c or q, the spelling remains in-, but the pronunciation becomes [ɪŋ-].

Derived terms

in- -is

Latin terms prefixed with in- (not)

Descendants

→ Catalan: in- (sometimes i-, or im- before p, b and m)
→ French: in-
→ Italian: in-
→ Middle English: in-
- English: in-, ir-, il-, im-
→ 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)

Etymology 2

Prefixation of the preposition in.[3]

Alternative forms

ind-, indu-

Prefix

in-

in, within, inside
‎in- + ‎hālō (“breathe”) → ‎inhālō (“breathe in, inhale”)
into, upon, on, against
‎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.
‎in- + ‎crepō (“I rattle”) → ‎increpō (“I rattle, rebuke”)
Attached to inchoative verbs, can express the sense of a change being started or reaching partial completion
‎in- + ‎ārēscō (“I am drying, am growing drier”) → ‎inārēscō (“I start becoming dry, become somewhat dry”)[4]

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

Latin terms prefixed with in- (in)

Descendants

Aromanian: ãn-, n-, an-
Catalan: en-
English: in-
French: en-
Italian: in-, en-
Portuguese: en-
Romanian: în-
Spanish: en-

Etymology 3

From Proto-Indo-European *énu (“along, after”). Cognate with Sanskrit अनु (after, “ánu-”), 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]

Alternative forms

īn-, ī-

Prefix

in-

after

Derived terms

Latin terms prefixed with in- (after)

References

Walde, Alois; Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938), “1. in-”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, pages 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), volume 1, 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, pages 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 [Lexicon]”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, pages 241-44

Maltese

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɪn/

Article

in-

Alternative form of il-

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

Initial

in- (root)

Alternative form of iN-

Prefix

in-

Alternative form of nin-

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /in/

Etymology 1

From in (“in”). More at in.

Prefix

in-

in, into
‎in- + ‎ēþung (“breathing”) → ‎inēþung (“inspiration”)
internal, inside
‎in- + ‎coþu (“disease”) → ‎incoþu (“internal disease”)
‎in- + ‎weorc (“work”) → ‎inweorc (“indoor work”)

Descendants

Middle English: in-
- English: in-

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *in- (“strong”, adj), from Proto-Indo-European *indʰro- (“swelling; strong”), from *oyd- (“to swell”).

Prefix

in-

(intensifying) very
‎in- + ‎frōd (“wise”) → ‎infrōd (“very wise”)
‎in- + ‎dryhten (“noble”) → ‎indryhten (“very noble”)

Derived terms

Old English terms prefixed with in-

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

en-

Prefix

in-

in

Usage notes

Very frequently replaced by ad- in pretonic position in verbs where the meaning ‘in’ is not transparent, e.g.:

ad·cota from *in-com-tá-
ad·fét from *in-fét-
ad·greinn from *in-grenn-
ad·snádi from *in-snádi-

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

Old Irish terms prefixed with in- (in)

References

Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2003), D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, pages 518–22

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *an-. In is the regular outcome of *an before voiced stops unless lowered to an via a-affection.

Prefix

in-

Alternative form of an- (“un-, not”)

Usage notes

Used before d and g and occasionally other sounds.[1]

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with in- (not)

References

Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2003), D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 872, page 544

Prefix

in- (class C infixed pronoun)

Alternative form of id-

Portuguese

Alternative forms

im- (before p or b)
ir- (before r)
i- (before m, n or l)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Prefix

in-

un-; not

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with in-

Spanish

Alternative forms

im- (before p or b)
ir- (before r)
i- (before l)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Prefix

in-

not (negation)

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with in-

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

Prefix

in-

Prefix form of -in.

Derived terms

Tagalog terms prefixed with in-

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-”

[1] Walde, Alois; Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938), “1. in-”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, pages 676f.

[2] William Gardner Hale and Carl Darling Buck, 1903. Latin Grammar, page 25

[3] Walde, Alois; Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1938), “2. in”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, 3rd edition, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, pages 677f.

[4] 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

[5] Dunkel, George E. (2014), “Lexikon [Lexicon]”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, pages 241-44

[6] Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2003), D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 872, page 544

in-

English

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Prefix

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Prefix

Usage notes

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Prefix

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Dutch

Pronunciation

Prefix

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

German

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Usage notes

Etymology 2

Prefix

Etymology 3

Prefix

Derived terms

Further reading

Gothic

Romanization

Indonesian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

Further reading

Irish

Etymology 1

Prefix

Etymology 2

Prefix

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Mutation

Further reading

Italian

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Usage notes

Etymology 2

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms