Inert
/ɪˈnɜːrt/noun
Lacking the ability or power to move or act; inactive.
Did you know?In Latin, iners could describe something not just motionless, but literally lacking the skill or capacity to do work, which is why the word still carries a sense of deadness or passivity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ar-
“to fit together, join, or arrange”
Latin
Latin
ars, artis
“skill, craft, art”
Latin
Latin
iners
“unskilled, idle, lacking skill or energy”
Late Latin
Latin
inertis
“inactive, powerless”
14th Century
English
inert
“inactive, sluggish, not moving or acting”
Modern English
English
inert
“lacking the ability or power to move or act; inactive”