Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “inertial” come from?

Inertial derives from English inertia, from Latin iners meaning sluggish or inactive, formed from Latin in- and Latin in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne and h₁én.

inertial (English): Of, relating to, or depending on inertia

Definitions

  1. Of, relating to, or depending on inertia

Ancestry of “inertial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romanianinerțieinertia; inertia, idleness, sloth
2Frenchinertieinertia; lack of dynamism or forcefulness
3Latininertiawant of art or skill, unskillfulness, ignorance;...
4Latininerswithout skill, unskilled, unskillful,...
5Latinīn-—
6Latinîn—
7Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
8Proto-Italicenin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “inertial”

  • noninertial
  • inertially
  • gravitoinertial
  • superinertial
  • subinertial
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →