English
inert
Inert comes from French inerte ‘inert, inactive’, from Latin ars ‘skill, art’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂értisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*artisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEars‘skill, art’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiners‘inactive, inert’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinerte‘inert, inactive’
- Englishearliest quotation 2018inert
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂értisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*artisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEars‘skill, art’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiners‘inactive, inert’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinerte‘inert, inactive’
- Englishearliest quotation 2018inert
Earliest quotation: 2018, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic): “As for the other forms of magic, previous systems…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’
reason, ready, order, rate, army, article, arm, ratio, alarm, ordinary, harmony, armor, coordination, coordinate, anarchy, arthritis, arithmetic, articulate, harmonic, ornament, subordinate, aristocratic, ordination, ornate, harmonious, armament, artisan, adorn, articulation, armadillo, ordinate, harmonize, ordinator, armature, archon, rime, ordinal, ordo, rta, ordain, 74 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂értis
through Proto-Italic *artis
through Latin ars ‘skill, art’
Today it means
adj Unable to move or act; inanimate.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- / inert