Inexact
/ˌɪn.ɪɡˈzækt/noun
Not accurate, precise, or strictly correct.
Did you know?Inexact is a 16th-century Latin formation: the prefix *in-* negates *exact*, from *exigere*, “to drive out, demand, or weigh out,” so precision itself was imagined as something forcibly measured.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ag-
“to drive, lead”
Latin
Latin
exigere
“to drive out, demand, measure out, weigh”
Late Latin
Latin
inexactus
“not exact, not strictly measured”
Middle French
Old French
inexact
“inexact, not precise”
16th Century
English
inexact
“not exact or precise”
Modern English
English
inexact
“not accurate, precise, or strictly correct”