Jump to content

in-

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also: Appendix:Variations of "in"

Languages (27)

Bemba • Catalan • Danish • Dutch • Finnish • French • German • Gothic • Indonesian • Irish • Italian • Latin • Malay • Maltese • Matengo • Mizo • Northern Ndebele • Ojibwe • Old English • Old Irish • Portuguese • Spanish • Swazi • Tagalog • Xhosa • Zulu

Page categories

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-

Pronunciation

Audio (Southern England): (file)

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-

inactive ingredient

inadmissibility

inappendiculate

inapprehensible

inauthoritative

inchangeability

incircumscriptible

incircumscription

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)
Spanish: endo- (es), en- (es), em- (es), in- (es), im- (es), i- (es), intra-

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-

inactive ingredient

inadmissibility

inappendiculate

inapprehensible

inauthoritative

inchangeability

incircumscriptible

incircumscription

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
*né

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-

(no longer 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. (no longer 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-

inactive ingredient

inadmissibility

inappendiculate

inapprehensible

inauthoritative

inchangeability

incircumscriptible

incircumscription

terms derived from in-: reversing meaning

terms derived from not

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)

See also

a- (Greek)
an-
non-
un-
wan-

Anagrams

N.I., NI, ni

Bemba

Alternative forms

im-

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *jí-ǹ-.

Prefix

in-

Class 9 noun prefix.
Class 10 noun prefix.

References

Reverend E. Hoch (1998), Bemba - English/English - Bemba‎^[1], Hippocrene Books, pages 212-213

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-

inclassificable

inconstitucional

inintel·ligència

inintel·ligent

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin in-. Related to Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-).

Prefix

in-

in, into
Antonym: eks-

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin in-. Related to Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).

Prefix

in-

in-, un- (indicates negation)
Synonym: u-

Derived terms

Danish terms prefixed with in-

Further reading

“in-” in Den Danske Ordbog

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

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈin-/, [ˈin-]

Prefix

in-

(in loanwords) in-

Derived terms

Finnish terms prefixed with in-

French

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *né

Proto-Indo-European *n̥-

Proto-Italic *ən-

Latin in-bor.

French in-

Borrowed from Latin in-, from Proto-Italic *ən-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, from *né.

Pronunciation

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

Prefix

in-

in-; un- (indicates negation)

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with in-

inaccomplissement

inadmissibilité

inaliénabilité

inapprivoisable

inauthenticité

incirconscriptible

incombustibilité

incommunicabilité

incompatibilité

incompréhensible

incompréhensif

inconditionnellement

inconstitutionnalité

incontestablement

inconvenablement

incrédibilité

indéboulonnable

indéchiffrable

indécidabilité

indécomposable

indéfinissable

indélibérément

indémontrabilité

indénombrabilité

indéterminable

indétermination

indéterminisme

indéterministe

indifféremment

indifférenciation

indivisibilité

References

“in-”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɪn/
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)

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

Further reading

“in-” in Duden online
“in-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Gothic

Romanization

in-

romanization of 𐌹𐌽-

Indonesian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈin/ [ˈɪn]
Rhymes: -in
Syllabification: in-

Prefix

in-

in-: used with certain words to reverse their meaning

Derived terms

Indonesian terms prefixed with in-

Further reading

“in-”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish in- (“-able”). Cognate with Manx yn-.

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- (loosely)

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with in-

no pages or subcategories

Mutation

Mutated forms of *in-*
radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
in-	n-in-	hin-	t-in-

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “in-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
“in-”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

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
(archaic, regional, 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 *né.

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-

inagguagliabile

incartapecorire

inclassificabile

incommensurabile

incommerciabile

incompenetrabile

incomprendibile

incompressibile

inconfrontabile

inconquistabile

inconsiderabile

incontaminabile

incontinentemente

incontraffattibile

incontrastabile

incontrollabile

Anagrams

ni, nì

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪn]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [in]

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *né

Proto-Indo-European *n̥-

Proto-Italic *ən-

Latin in-

From Proto-Italic *ən-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“not”), zero-grade form of the negative particle *né (“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)

incommensurabilis

incommiscibilis

incomprehensibilis

incontradicibilis

incorruptibilis

inintelligibilis

Descendants

Italian: in-
Sicilian: n- (m- before p, b or m, il- before l, and ir- before r)
→ Catalan: in- (sometimes i-, or im- before p, b and m)
→ French: 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)
→ Romanian: in- (im- before p or b, and i- before l, m, or 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 (“to breathe”) → ‎inhālō (“to breathe in, inhale”)
2. against; into; on, upon; to, towards
  ‎in- + ‎gradior (“to step, go”) → ‎ingredior (“to go into, enter”)
  
  ‎in- + ‎nūbō (“to marry”) → ‎innūbō (“to marry into”)
  
  ‎in- + ‎cadō (“to fall”) → ‎incidō (“to fall into, fall upon”)
  
  ‎in- + ‎pangō (“to set, fix, settle, fasten”) → ‎impingō (“to fasten upon, dash against, strike against”)
  
  ‎in- + ‎flīgō (“to strike”) → ‎īnflīgō (“to strike on, strike against, inflict, impose upon”)
  
  ‎in- + ‎vocō (“to call”) → ‎invocō (“to call on, call upon, invoke”)
3. Used as an intensifier.
  ‎in- + ‎crepō (“to rattle”) → ‎increpō (“to rattle, rebuke”)
4. Attached to inchoative verbs, can express the sense of a change being started or reaching partial completion
  ‎in- + ‎ārēscō (“to be drying, am growing drier”) → ‎inārēscō (“to 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] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →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

Malay

Etymology

PIE word
*né

From English in-, from Middle English in-, from Latin in- (“not”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [in-]
Hyphenation: in-

Prefix

in- (Jawi spelling اينـ)

(no longer productive) Used with certain words to reverse their meaning; in-.
informal ― informal

Derived terms

Malay terms prefixed with in-

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.

Matengo

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *ǹ- (“Class 9 & 10 noun prefix”).

Prefix

in-

Class 9 noun prefix.
Class 10 noun prefix.

References

Nobuko Yoneda (2006), A Classified Vocabulary of the Matengo Language‎^[2], Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, page xi

Mizo

Etymology

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

Prefix

in-

Reciprocal verb prefix: each other
‎in- + ‎kâp (“to shoot”) → ‎inkâp (“to shoot each other”)
Reflexive verb prefix: oneself
‎in- + ‎that (“to kill”) → ‎inthat (“to kill oneself; commit suicide”)

Derived terms

Mizo terms prefixed with in-

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-

See also

Ojibwe personal prefixes
		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-

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”, adjective), 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

Descendants

Middle English: 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

References

Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, pages 518–22; reprinted 2017

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”)

Descendants

Irish: in-
Manx: yn-

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) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, § 872, page 544; reprinted 2017

Further reading

Pedersen, Holger (1913), Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen [Comparative Grammar of the Celtic Languages] (in German), volume II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, →ISBN, page 11

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

Prefix

in-

un-; not

Usage notes

This prefix has the following allomorphs:

Before ⟨p⟩ and ⟨b⟩, it becomes im-.
Before ⟨r⟩, it becomes ir-
Before ⟨m⟩, ⟨n⟩, ⟨l⟩, it becomes i-.

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with in-

inalienabilidade

incompatibilidade

incompreensível

inconstitucional

inconstitucionalizar

indisponibilidade

indistinguível

indivisibilidade

inflexibilidade

injustificável

implausibilidade

imprescindível

imprescritível

improbabilidade

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-

inaccesibilidad

incapacitación

inconceptualizable

inconscientemente

inconstitucional

incontrovertible

indiscutiblemente

inhabilitación

inmovilización

insatisfactorio

Further reading

“in-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

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-

Usage notes

Used when the root begins with a vowel. Though appearing to be a prefix, the affix actually still functions as an infix, inserted between the unwritten initial glottal stop and the root's initial vowel.

Derived terms

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-”

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=in-&oldid=88117739"

Hidden categories: