inertia

English

Etymology

From Latin inertia (“lack of art or skill, inactivity, indolence”), from iners (“unskilled, inactive”), from in- (“without, not”) + ars (“skill, art”). The modern physics sense was first used in New Latin by Johannes Kepler.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈɜː.ʃə/, /ɪˈnɜː.ʃə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈɝ.ʃə/, /ɪˈnɝ.ʃə/

  • Audio (New Jersey):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)ʃə

Noun

inertia (countable and uncountable, plural inertias or inertiae or inertiæ)

1. (physics, uncountable or countable) The property of a body that resists any change to its uniform motion; equivalent to its mass.
2. (figuratively) In a person, unwillingness to take action.
   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, chapter II, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume III (The Guillotine), London: James Fraser, […], →OCLC, book IV (Terror):

     Men […] have immense irresolution and inertia.

   • 1970 August 12 [1969 January 15], John Womack, Jr., Zapata and the Mexican Revolution‎^[1], New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 261:

     Not all the surviving veteran chiefs would actually fight. Some remained nominally in the resistance but in practice delayed at their bases, pretexting a lack of ammunition for their uncertain inertia.

   • 2014 March 9, Jacob Steinberg, “Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals”, in The Guardian:

     City had been woeful, their anger at their own inertia summed up when Samir Nasri received a booking for dissent, and they did not have a shot on target until the 66th minute.

3. (medicine) Lack of activity; sluggishness; said especially of the uterus, when, in labour, its contractions have nearly or wholly ceased.

Synonyms

• (unwillingness to take action): idleness, laziness, sloth, slothfulness

Derived terms

• bureaucratic inertia
• center of inertia
• centre of inertia
• inertial
• inertia selling
• inertia time
• inertia welding
• moment of inertia
• practico-inertia
• uterine inertia

Related terms

• inert
• inertness

Translations

in physics

• Albanian: inerci (sq) f
• Arabic: عَطَالَة f (ʕaṭāla)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: ətalət
• Bulgarian: инерция (bg) f (inercija)
• Catalan: inèrcia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 慣性 / 惯性 (zh) (guànxìng)

• Czech: setrvačnost (cs) f
• Dutch: inertie (nl), traagheid (nl)
• Esperanto: inerteco, inerteca forto, inertforto
• Estonian: inerts, inertsus
• Finnish: hitaus (fi), inertia (fi), vitka (fi), jatkavuus
• French: inertie (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Trägheit (de) f, Beharrungsvermögen (de) n, Beharrung f
• Greek: αδράνεια (el) f (adráneia)
• Hawaiian: ehuō
• Hindi: अक्रियता (hi) f (akriytā)
• Hungarian: tehetetlenség (hu)
• Irish: táimhe f
• Italian: inerzia (it) f
• Japanese: 慣性 (ja) (かんせい, kansei)
• Kazakh: инерция (inersiä)
• Khmer: និចលភាព (nĭchlôphéap)
• Latvian: inerce f
• Malay: inersia (ms)
• Malayalam: ജഡത്വം (jaḍatvaṁ)
• Maori: tūpuku
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: treghet (no), treighet m
• Polish: bezwładność (pl) f, inercja (pl) f
• Portuguese: inércia (pt)
• Romanian: inerție (ro) f
• Russian: ине́рция (ru) f (inɛ́rcija)
• Scottish Gaelic: do-mhùthadh m
• Spanish: inercia (es) f
• Swedish: tröghet (sv)
• Tagalog: tigal
• Tamil: சடத்துவம் (ta) (caṭattuvam), நிலைமம் (nilaimam)
• Telugu: జడత్వము (te) (jaḍatvamu)
• Thai: ความเฉื่อย (th) (kwaam-chʉ̀ai)
• Turkish: eylemsizlik (tr)
• Ukrainian: іне́рція f (inércija)
• Vietnamese: quán tính (vi) (慣性)

unwillingness to take action

• Arabic: عَطَالَة f (ʕaṭāla)
• Bulgarian: мудност (bg) f (mudnost), вялост (bg) f (vjalost)
• Catalan: inèrcia (ca) f
• Dutch: daadloosheid (nl)
• Estonian: tegevusetus, loidus
• Finnish: vastahakoisuus (fi)
• German: Trägheit (de) f, Schwerfälligkeit f, Unbeweglichkeit f
• Hindi: निष्क्रियता (hi) f (niṣkriytā)
• Hungarian: tétlenség (hu)
• Irish: spadántacht f
• Italian: inerzia (it) f
• Polish: inercja (pl) f, bezwładność (pl) f
• Portuguese: inércia (pt)
• Russian: ине́ртность (ru) f (inɛ́rtnostʹ), вя́лость (ru) f (vjálostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: leisg f, do-mhùthadh m
• Spanish: inercia (es) f
• Swedish: tröghet (sv)
• Thai: ความเฉื่อยชา
• Turkish: atalet (tr)
• Welsh: llesgedd (cy) m, syrthni m

in medicine

• Finnish: velttous (fi), inertia (fi)
• German: Reglosigkeit (de) f, Schwerfälligkeit f, Trägheit (de) f
• Maori: whakapahoho

Further reading

• “inertia”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “inertia”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “inertia”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• iranite

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin inertia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈinertiɑ/, [ˈine̞rˌt̪iɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): iner‧tia

Noun

inertia

1. inertia

   Synonyms: hitaus, vitka, jatkavuus

Declension

Inflection of inertia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		inertia	inertiat
genitive		inertian	inertioiden inertioitten
partitive		inertiaa	inertioita
illative		inertiaan	inertioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		inertia	inertiat
accusative	nom.	inertia	inertiat
	gen.	inertian
genitive		inertian	inertioiden inertioitten inertiain rare
partitive		inertiaa	inertioita
inessive		inertiassa	inertioissa
elative		inertiasta	inertioista
illative		inertiaan	inertioihin
adessive		inertialla	inertioilla
ablative		inertialta	inertioilta
allative		inertialle	inertioille
essive		inertiana	inertioina
translative		inertiaksi	inertioiksi
abessive		inertiatta	inertioitta
instructive		—	inertioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of inertia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative inertiani inertiani accusative nom. inertiani inertiani gen. inertiani genitive inertiani inertioideni inertioitteni inertiaini rare partitive inertiaani inertioitani inessive inertiassani inertioissani elative inertiastani inertioistani illative inertiaani inertioihini adessive inertiallani inertioillani ablative inertialtani inertioiltani allative inertialleni inertioilleni essive inertianani inertioinani translative inertiakseni inertioikseni abessive inertiattani inertioittani instructive — — comitative — inertioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative inertiasi inertiasi accusative nom. inertiasi inertiasi gen. inertiasi genitive inertiasi inertioidesi inertioittesi inertiaisi rare partitive inertiaasi inertioitasi inessive inertiassasi inertioissasi elative inertiastasi inertioistasi illative inertiaasi inertioihisi adessive inertiallasi inertioillasi ablative inertialtasi inertioiltasi allative inertiallesi inertioillesi essive inertianasi inertioinasi translative inertiaksesi inertioiksesi abessive inertiattasi inertioittasi instructive — — comitative — inertioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative inertiamme inertiamme accusative nom. inertiamme inertiamme gen. inertiamme genitive inertiamme inertioidemme inertioittemme inertiaimme rare partitive inertiaamme inertioitamme inessive inertiassamme inertioissamme elative inertiastamme inertioistamme illative inertiaamme inertioihimme adessive inertiallamme inertioillamme ablative inertialtamme inertioiltamme allative inertiallemme inertioillemme essive inertianamme inertioinamme translative inertiaksemme inertioiksemme abessive inertiattamme inertioittamme instructive — — comitative — inertioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative inertianne inertianne accusative nom. inertianne inertianne gen. inertianne genitive inertianne inertioidenne inertioittenne inertiainne rare partitive inertiaanne inertioitanne inessive inertiassanne inertioissanne elative inertiastanne inertioistanne illative inertiaanne inertioihinne adessive inertiallanne inertioillanne ablative inertialtanne inertioiltanne allative inertiallenne inertioillenne essive inertiananne inertioinanne translative inertiaksenne inertioiksenne abessive inertiattanne inertioittanne instructive — — comitative — inertioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative inertiansa inertiansa accusative nom. inertiansa inertiansa gen. inertiansa genitive inertiansa inertioidensa inertioittensa inertiainsa rare partitive inertiaansa inertioitaan inertioitansa inessive inertiassaan inertiassansa inertioissaan inertioissansa elative inertiastaan inertiastansa inertioistaan inertioistansa illative inertiaansa inertioihinsa adessive inertiallaan inertiallansa inertioillaan inertioillansa ablative inertialtaan inertialtansa inertioiltaan inertioiltansa allative inertialleen inertiallensa inertioilleen inertioillensa essive inertianaan inertianansa inertioinaan inertioinansa translative inertiakseen inertiaksensa inertioikseen inertioiksensa abessive inertiattaan inertiattansa inertioittaan inertioittansa instructive — — comitative — inertioineen inertioinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• inertiaohjaus

Further reading

• “inertia”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *enartjā. Related to iners (“without skill; inactive”), from in- (“not”) + ars (“art, skill”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /iˈner.ti.a/, [ɪˈnɛrt̪iä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /iˈner.t͡si.a/, [iˈnɛrt̪͡s̪iä]

Noun

inertia f (genitive inertiae); first declension

1. want of art or skill, unskillfulness, ignorance

   Antonyms: calliditās, sapientia

2. (by extension) inactivity, idleness, laziness, indolence

   Synonyms: pigritia, sēgnitia, ignāvia, dēsidia, sōcordia, ōtium

   Antonyms: impigritās, alacritās, strēnuitās, āctīvitās

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	inertia	inertiae
genitive	inertiae	inertiārum
dative	inertiae	inertiīs
accusative	inertiam	inertiās
ablative	inertiā	inertiīs
vocative	inertia	inertiae

Related terms

• iners
• inersitūdō
• inerticulus

Descendants

• Catalan: inèrcia
• English: inertia
• French: inertie
• Galician: inercia
• Italian: inerzia
• Occitan: inercia
• Portuguese: inércia
• Romanian: inerție
• Russian: ине́рция (inércija)
• Spanish: inercia

References

• “inertia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “inertia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "inertia", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• inertia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

inertia m (definite singular inertiaen, indefinite plural inertiaer, definite plural inertiaene)

1. form removed with the spelling reform of 2005; superseded by inerti