- incompetency (n.)
- 1610s, from incompetent + -cy.
- incomprehensive (adj.)
- 1650s, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + comprehensive. Related: Incomprehensively.
- inconclusive (adj.)
- 1660s, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + conclusive. Related: Inconclusively. Inconclusion is "rare," perhaps because it could mean either "reaching no conclusion" or "reaching an unwarranted conclusion." Related: Inconclusiveness.
- inconducive (adj.)
- 1729, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + conducive.
- inconsolable (adj.)
- 1590s, from Latin inconsolabilis "inconsolable," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + consolabilis "consolable," from consolari (see console (v.)). Related: Inconsolably (c. 1500).
- incontestable (adj.)
- 1670s, from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + contestable (see contest (v.)). Perhaps from or modeled on French incontestable. Related: Incontestably.
- incontrovertible (adj.)
- 1640s, from in- (1) "not" + controvertible (see controvert). Related: Incontrovertibly; incontrovertibility.
- inconsistency (n.)
- 1640s, "something which is inconsistent;" 1650s as "quality of being inconsistent," from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + consistency. Related: Inconsistencies. Inconsistence (1630s) is marked "Now rare or Obs." in OED.
- inconsiderable (adj.)
- 1590s, "incalculable;" from 1630s as "not worthy of consideration or notice," from French inconsidérable (16c.), from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + considérable (see considerable). Related: Inconsiderably. OED has found an instance of the rare verb inconsider from 1697.
- incongruity (n.)
- 1530s, "quality of being incongruent," from French incongruité (16c.) or directly from Medieval Latin incongruitas, from Latin in- "not" (see in- (1)) + congruitas (see congruity). Meaning "that which is incongruent, an example of incongruency" is from c. 1600.
- incongruence (n.)
- c. 1600, from Late Latin incongruentia "incongruity," from incongruentem (nominative incongruens) "incongruous, inconsistent," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + congruens (see congruent). Related: Incongruency.
- incongruent (adj.)
- mid-15c., from Late Latin incongruentem (nominative incongruens), from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + congruens (see congruent). Related: Incongruently.
- increasingly (adv.)
- late 14c., from increasing (see increase (v.)) + -ly (2).
- incorruptible (adj.)
- mid-14c., in a physical sense, from Old French incorruptible (14c.), or directly from Late Latin incorruptibilis "incorruptible," from Latin incorruptus "unspoiled, unseduced," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + corruptus (see corrupt (adj.)). From 1660s in English in a moral sense. Related: Incorruptibly.
- incapacitate (v.)
- 1650s in a legal sense; 1660s in general use, "deprive of natural power," from incapacity + -ate. Related: Incapacitated; incapacitating.
- Coney Island
- community in Brooklyn, N.Y., so called for the rabbits once found there (see coney) and was known to the Dutch as Konijn Eiland, from which the English name probably derives. It emerged as a resort and amusement park center after the U.S. Civil War.
- individuation (n.)
- 1620s, from Medieval Latin individuationem (nominative individuatio), noun of action from past participle stem of individuare "to make individual," from Latin individuus "individual" (see individual (adj.)). Psychological sense is from 1909.
- -ine (1)
- also -in, adjectival word-forming element, Middle English, from Old French -in/-ine, or directly from Latin suffix -inus/-ina/-inum "of, like," forming adjectives and derived nouns, as in divinus, feminus, caninus; from PIE adjectival suffix *-no- (see -en (2)).
The Latin suffix is cognate with Greek -inos/-ine/-inon, and in some modern scientific words the element is from Greek. Added to names, it meant "of or pertaining to, of the nature of" (Florentinus), and so it also was commonly used in forming Roman proper names, originally appellatives (Augustinus, Constantinus, Justinus, etc.) and its descendants in Romanic languages continued active in name-forming. The Latin fem. form, -ina, was used in forming abstracts (doctrina, medicina). Relics of the attempt to continue a distinction between Latin -ina and -inus account for the English hesitation in spelling between -in and -ine.
- inequity (n.)
- "unfairness," 1550s, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + equity. Formed from the same elements as iniquity, but done in English. Related: Inequities.
- non-invasive (adj.)
- also noninvasive, by 1850, from non- + invasive.
- res ipsa loquitur
- Latin, "the thing speaks for itself."
- re-ignite (v.)
- also reignite, 1863, from re- + ignite. Related: Reignited; reigniting.
- -iatry
- word-forming element meaning "medical treatment," from French -iatrie, from Greek iatreia "healing, medical treatment" (see -iatric).
- tongue-in-cheek (adv.)
- 1856, from phrase to speak with one's tongue in one's cheek "to speak insincerely" (1748), suggestive of sly irony or humorous insincerity, perhaps a stage trick to convey irony to the audience.
Hem! Pray, Sir, said he to the Bard, after thrusting his Tongue into a Corner of his Cheek, and rolling his Eyes at Miss Willis, (Tricks which he had caught by endeavouring to take off a celebrated Comedian) were these fine Tragedies of yours ever acted? [anonymous, "Emily, or the History of a Natural Daughter," 1761]
This arietta, however, she no sooner began to perform, than he and the justice fell asleep ; but the moment she ceased playing, the knight waked snorting, and exclaimed,--'O cara! what d'ye think, gentlemen? Will you talk any more of your Pargolesi and your Corelli ?'--At the same time, he thrust his tongue in one cheek, and leered with one eye at the doctor and me, who sat on his left hand--He concluded the pantomime with a loud laugh, which he could command at all times extempore. [Smollett, "The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker," 1771]
- iguanodon (n.)
- dinosaur name, 1825, hybrid from iguana + Latinized stem of Greek odonys "tooth" (on model of mastodon). So called because the fossil teeth and bones were thought to resemble (except in size) those of the tropical lizard.
- initial (v.)
- "to mark or sign with initials," 1837, from initial (n.). Related: Initialed; initialing.
- initial (n.)
- "initial letter of a name or surname," 1620s, from initial (adj.) in a specialized sense "standing at the beginning of a word, sentence, etc." (1620s).
- shut-in (n.)
- "person confined from normal social intercourse," 1904, from the verbal phrase, from shut (v.) + in (adv.).
- log in (v.)
- 1963 in the computing sense, from log (v.2) + in (adv.).
- anti-intellectual
- 1821 (adj.), from anti- + intellectual. As a noun meaning "an anti-intellectual person" from 1913.
- ice (v.)
- c. 1400, ysen, "cover with ice," from ice (n.). Related: Iced; icing.
- ideal (n.)
- "(hypothetical) perfect person, thing, or state," 1796, in a translation of Kant, from ideal (adj.). Hence "standard or model of perfection" (1849).
- inch (v.)
- 1590s, "move little by little" (intrans.), from inch (n.1). Meaning "drive or force by small degrees" (trans.) is from 1660s. Related: Inched; inching.
- non-intervention (n.)
- 1831, from non- + intervention.
- innie (n.)
- in reference to navels, by 1972, from in (adj.) + -ie.
- over-indulge (v.)
- 1741, from over- + indulge. Related: Over-indulged; over-indulging.
- -idae
- word-forming element used to coin family names in zoology (by being suffixed to the name of the genus whence that of the family is derived), from Latin -idae, plural of noun suffix -ides (see -id).
- irregular (n.)
- "one not belonging to a regular body" of any sort, "one not subject to or not conforming with established regulations," 1610s, from irregular (adj.). Main modern sense of "a soldier not of the regular army" is from 1747.
- Celt-Iberian (adj.)
- also Celtiberian, c. 1600, from Celt + Iberian.
- intellectual (n.)
- 1590s, "mind, intellect, intellectual powers," from intellectual (adj.). The meaning "an intellectual person" is attested from 1650s but was hardly used in that sense in 19c. and the modern use in this sense seems to be a re-coinage from c. 1906. Related: Intellectuals.
- pig iron (n.)
- 1660s; see pig (n.) + iron (n.).
- plug-in (adj.)
- 1922, from plug (v.) + in (adv.).
- re-import (v.)
- also reimport, 1742, from re- + import (v.). Related: Re-imported; re-importing.
- re-inter (v.)
- also reinter, 1610s, from re- + inter. Related: Re-interred; re-interring.
- son-in-law (n.)
- late 14c., from son + in-law.
- semper idem
- Latin, literally "always the same;" see semper- + identical.
- self-involved (adj.)
- 1812, from self- + involved.
- sign-in (n.)
- 1968, from the verbal phrase; see sign (v.) + in (adv.).
- run-in (n.)
- "quarrel, confrontation," 1905, from verbal phrase, from run (v.) + in (adv.). From 1857 as "an act of running in."
- shoo-in (n.)
- "easy winner" (especially in politics), 1939, from earlier sense "horse that wins a race by pre-arrangement" (1928); the verb phrase shoo in in this sense is from 1908; from shoo (v.) + in (adv.).