Inferior
/ɪnˈfɪəriər/noun
Lower in rank, status, quality, or position.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *inferior*, the comparative of *infra* (“below”), so the word was originally about physical or social placement long before it became a judgment of worth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ndher-
“under, beneath”
Latin
Latin
infra
“below, beneath”
Latin
Latin
inferior
“lower, the lower of two”
Late Latin
Latin
inferior
“lower in rank or position”
Middle English
English
inferiour
“lower in rank, degree, or place”
Modern English
English
inferior
“lower in rank, quality, or status”
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