inertness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree English inert Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English inertness From inert + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) Lack of activity or exertion; habitual indisposition to action or motion
No life stirred. They alone moved through the vast inertness. They alone were alive, and they sought for other things that were alive in order that they might devour them and continue to live.
1906, Jack London, “The Battle of the Fangs”, in White Fang, pages 49-63:
- (uncountable, usually) Absence of the power of self-motion; inertia.
- (uncountable, usually) Quality of being unreactive with other chemical compounds or elements.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| inertnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
apathy · sluggishness · insensibility
Translations (16)
fr inertie (sluggishness) · it indolenza (sluggishness) · pl bierność (chemically unreactive) · es inercia (inertia) · la torpēdō (sluggishness) · es inercia (sluggishness) · pl bezwładność (inertia) · pl bezwładność (sluggishness) · pl inercja (chemically unreactive) · es inercia química (chemically unreactive) · pl obojętność (chemically unreactive) · it inerzia (chemically unreactive) · it inerzia (inertia) · de Trägheit (sluggishness) · it apatia (sluggishness) · pl pasywność (chemically unreactive)