in-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "in"

Languages (21)

Catalan • Dutch • French • German • Gothic • Indonesian • Irish • Italian • Latin • Maltese • Northern Ndebele • Ojibwe • Old English • Old Irish • Portuguese • Spanish • Swazi • Tagalog • Xhosa • Zulu

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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
2. Inward (direction)
  inbeat is occurring on an inward beat, inbend is to bend or curve inwards, incave is to cave inward
4. Within (position)
  inbreed is to produce or generate within, inburning is burning within, incircle is a circle within a polygon

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “within”): out-, ex-, exo-, ecto-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with in-

terms derived from in-: toward

terms derived from inward

terms derived from within

Translations

in, into, towards

French: in- (fr) en- (fr)
Galician: in- (gl)
Greek: εισ- (eis-), εν- (el) (en-)
Italian: in- (it)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: inn- (no)
Persian: درون (fa) (darun-)
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
2. Into
  imband is to form into a band or bands, imbar is to bar in, imbarn is to store in a barn
4. Doing; forming verbs.
  inblind is to make blind, incloister is to cloister
6. 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.

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “within”): out-, ex-, exo-, ecto-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with in-

terms derived from in-: direction

terms derived from in-: tendency

inflammable

terms derived from into

terms derived from doing

terms derived from having

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:
- 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
2. (non-productive) Added to adjectives to mean not.
  inedible
  
  inaccurate
4. Added to nouns to mean lacking or without.
  incredulity
  
  ineptitude
6. Cannot, unable.
  inannihilable is that cannot be annihilated, inappellable is that cannot be appealed against, inassimilable is that cannot be assimilated

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

terms derived from not

terms derived from absence

terms derived from cannot

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

Etymology

From in.

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Prefix

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-

Derived terms

in en in

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 and inne-.

Prefix

in-

(rare, only in nouns) in, inside, interior
‎in- + ‎Land (“land”) → ‎Inland (“domestic territory”)

‎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 cannot be considered to involve a prefix, but rather the preposition in directly.

Alternative forms

inne- (in verbs)

Related terms

ein-, inner-, binnen-

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

From Old Irish in- (“-able”).

Prefix

in-

(productive) able to, -able (+ past participle)
Antonym: do-

‎in- + ‎ite → ‎inite (“edible”)

‎in- + ‎déanta → ‎indéanta (“doable”)
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”).

Prefix

in-

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 Latin) 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]

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-

Prepositional prefix, generally attached to verbs to derive new verbs with a range of meanings.
1. in, within, inside
  ‎in- + ‎hālō (“breathe”) → ‎inhālō (“breathe in, inhale”)
2. 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”)
3. Used as an intensifier.
  ‎in- + ‎crepō (“I rattle”) → ‎increpō (“I rattle, rebuke”)
4. 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 (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]

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), 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

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 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-

able to, -able (+ past participle)
‎in- + ‎ad·gair (“to sue”) → ‎inaccartha (“to be sued for”)

‎in- + ‎mescaigid (“to intoxicate”) → ‎inmescaigthe (“able to intoxicate”)
able to, -able, fit for, fit to be (+ noun, an o- and a-stems usually yields an i-stem adjective)
‎in- + ‎bés (“custom”) → ‎inbésa (“customary”)

‎in- + ‎comlann (“fight”) → ‎incomlainn (“able to fight”)

‎in- + ‎galar (“sickness”) → ‎ingalair (“sick”)

Etymology 3

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)

Etymology 4

Prefix

in- (class C infixed pronoun)

Alternative form of id-

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

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

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔin/ [ʔɪn̪]
Syllabification: in-

Prefix

in- (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜈ᜔)

prefix form of -in-

Derived terms

Tagalog terms prefixed with in-

Anagrams

ni

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), 3rd edition, volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 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), 3rd edition, volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 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 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

[6] 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

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[1]

	stem begins with...	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
Consonants	p t k h ch m n s sh w y	ni-	gi-	o-
	d g ' j z zh	nin-
	b	nim-
Vowels	o	nindo-	gido-	odo-
	a aa e i	nind-	gid-	od-
	oo	n-	g-	od-
	ii	n-	g-	w-

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

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

German

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Usage notes

Alternative forms

Related terms

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