Inc.
/ɪŋk/noun
An abbreviation for incorporated, indicating a company legally formed as a corporation.
Did you know?The abbreviation comes from Latin incorporare, meaning “to embody” or literally “to bring into a body,” echoing the ancient idea that a corporation could possess a legal body of its own.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
corpus
“Body”
Classical Latin
Latin
incorporare
“To embody or bring into a body”
Medieval Latin
Latin
incorporatus
“Formed into a body or united as one body”
15th–16th Century
English
incorporate
“To combine into one body; later, to form a legal corporation”
19th Century
English
inc.
“Written abbreviation of incorporated”
Modern English
English
Inc.
“A corporate legal designation used after a company name”