in-

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.

• i-, il-
• en-

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

in-

1. 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

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

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

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.

in-

1. 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

• 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.

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

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

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-.

in-

2. (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

• (not): a-, an-, dys-, i-/il-/im-/ir-, mal-, non-, un-

• em-
• en-

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

• N.I., NI, ni

• im-

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *jí-ǹ-.

in-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.
2. Class 10 noun prefix.

• Reverend E. Hoch (1998), Bemba - English/English - Bemba‎^[2], Hippocrene Books, pages 212-213

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

in- (before l il-, before b, m, or p im-, before r ir-)

1. in-; un- (reversal of meaning or lack of an attribute)

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

in-

1. in, into

   Antonym: eks-

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

in-

1. in-, un- (indicates negation)

   Synonym: u-

• “in-” in Den Danske Ordbog

• Audio:

  (file)

From Middle Dutch in-. Prefixed form of the preposition in.

in-

2. prepended to a noun or adjective, it reinforces the quality signified thereby

• in en in

From Middle Dutch in-, which is borrowed from Old French in- and Latin in-.

in-

2. prepended to an adjective to negate its meaning; occurs mostly in borrowed terms from French: in-, un-

< Latin in-

• IPA^(key): /ˈin-/, [ˈin-]

in-

1. (in loanwords) in-

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

• IPA^(key): (before a consonant) /ɛ̃/, (before a vowel, h muet, or n) /in/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

in-

1. in-; un- (indicates negation)

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

• IPA^(key): /ɪn/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *en. More at in and inne-.

in-

1. (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”)

• 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.

• inne- (in verbs)

• ein-, inner-, binnen-

Borrowed from Latin in-.

in-

1. (rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in, into

   ‎in- + ‎filtrieren (“to filter”) → ‎infiltrieren (“to infiltrate”)

Borrowed from Latin in-.

in-

1. (rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in-, un- (indicates negation)

   Synonyms: un-, nicht-

   ‎in- + ‎konsequent (“consistent”) → ‎inkonsequent (“inconsistent”)

• “in-” in Duden online
• “in-”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[3] (in German)

in-

1. romanization of 𐌹𐌽-

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

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

in-

1. in-: used with certain words to reverse their meaning

• “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

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

in-

1. (productive) able to, -able (+ past participle)

   Antonym: do-

   ‎in- + ‎ite → ‎inite (“edible”)

   ‎in- + ‎déanta → ‎indéanta (“doable”)

2. 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”)

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”).

in-

1. en-, in-, il-, im-, ir-
2. endo-
3. intra-

• ion- (loosely)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “in-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “in-”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

• im- (assimilated form before b-/m-/p-)
• il- (assimilated form before l-)
• ir- (assimilated form before r-)

• IPA^(key): /in/
  • Hyphenation: in-
• IPA^(key): [iɱ] (before f or v)
• IPA^(key): [iŋ] (before c or g)

From Latin in-, a prefixation of in (“in, into”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én.

in-

1. (forms verbs) used to denote derivation
2. (archaic, regional, rare) used as an intensifier

• 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”)

From Latin in- (“un-, not”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-, zero grade form of the sentence negative *né.

in-

1. used to denote negation or opposition or privation; un-; in-; a-

• 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”)

• ni, nì

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

in-

1. un-, non-, not

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-].

• in- -is

• 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)

Inherited from Proto-Italic *en-. Prefixation of the preposition in.^[3]

• ind-, indu-

in-

1. 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]

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".

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]

• īn-, ī-

in-

1. after

• “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

PIE word
*né

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

• IPA^(key): [in-]
• Hyphenation: in-

in- (Jawi spelling اينـ)

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

   informal ― informal

• IPA^(key): /ɪn/

in-

1. alternative form of il-

• Used before the letter n. For details on usage, see the main lemma.

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

in-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.
2. Class 10 noun prefix.

• Nobuko Yoneda (2006), A Classified Vocabulary of the Matengo Language‎^[4], Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, page xi

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

in-

1. Reciprocal verb prefix: each other

   ‎in- + ‎kâp (“to shoot”) → ‎inkâp (“to shoot each other”)

2. Reflexive verb prefix: oneself

   ‎in- + ‎that (“to kill”) → ‎inthat (“to kill oneself; commit suicide”)

From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-ǹ-.

in-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.

The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).

in- (root)

1. alternative form of iN-

in-

1. alternative form of nin-

• IPA^(key): /in/

From in (“in”). More at in.

in-

1. in, into

   ‎in- + ‎ēþung (“breathing”) → ‎inēþung (“inspiration”)

2. internal, inside

   ‎in- + ‎coþu (“disease”) → ‎incoþu (“internal disease”)

   ‎in- + ‎weorc (“work”) → ‎inweorc (“indoor work”)

• Middle English: in-
  • English: in-

From Proto-Germanic *in- (“strong”, adjective), from Proto-Indo-European *indʰro- (“swelling; strong”), from *oyd- (“to swell”).

in-

1. (intensifying) very

   ‎in- + ‎frōd (“wise”) → ‎infrōd (“very wise”)

   ‎in- + ‎dryhten (“noble”) → ‎indryhten (“very noble”)

• Middle English: in-

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.

• en-

in-

1. in

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-

• 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

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

in-

1. able to, -able (+ past participle)

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

   ‎in- + ‎mescaigid (“to intoxicate”) → ‎inmescaigthe (“able to intoxicate”)

2. 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”)

• Irish: in-
• Manx: yn-

From Proto-Celtic *an-. In is the regular outcome of *an before voiced stops unless lowered to an via a-affection.

in-

1. alternative form of an- (“un-, not”)

Used before d and g and occasionally other sounds.^[1]

in- (class C infixed pronoun)

1. alternative form of id-

• 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

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

in-

1. un-; not

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-.

• “in-”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• im- (before p or b)
• ir- (before r)
• i- (before l)

Borrowed from Latin in- (“un-, not”).

in-

2. (with nouns and adjectives) not (negation)

Borrowed from Latin in- (“inward”).

in-

2. (with verbs) in; into; towards; within

• “in-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-ǹ-.

in-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.

The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).

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

in- (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜈ᜔)

1. prefix form of -in-

• 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.

• ni

From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-ǹ-.

in-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.

The variant form im- is used before stems beginning with a labial consonant (b, f, m, p, v).

From Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀-ǹ-.

ín-

1. Class 9 noun prefix.

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-.

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “im-, in-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “im-, in-”