Internecine describes conflict within a group or something mutually destructive, originating from a Latin term for deadly conflict.
Internecine describes conflict within a group or something mutually destructive or deadly. The word originates from Latin 'internecinus' ('fought to the death'), with its modern sense likely influenced by Samuel Johnson's dictionary definition.
| Word | internecine |
|---|---|
| Date | April 29, 2007 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | in-ter-NESS-een |
| Etymology | "Internecine" comes from the Latin "internecinus" ("fought to the death" or "destructive"), which traces to the verb "necare" ("to kill") and the prefix "inter-." ("Inter-" usually means "between" or "mutual" in Latin, but it can also indicate the completion of an action.) "Internecine" meant "deadly" when it appeared in English in 1663, but when Samuel Johnson entered it in his dictionary almost a century later, he was apparently misled by "inter-" and defined the word as "endeavouring mutual destruction." Johnson's definition was carried into later dictionaries, and before long his sense was the dominant meaning of the word. "Internecine" developed the association with internal group conflict in the 20th century, and that's the most common sense today. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | When the three brothers took over the family business together, it didn't take long for the internecine feuding to begin. |
| Definition | 1 : marked by slaughter : deadly; especially : mutually destructive 2 : of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Scrimshaw scrimshander art april noun skrim-shan-der distinctly north
Previous card: Interest usance word money shylock play april noun
Up to card list: Word of the Day