rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: ars
Latin

ars

skill, craft, or art

Forms

  • ars
  • art- — The longer form used before Latin endings.

Origin

Related to an older Indo-European family associated with fitting or joining.

Note

The Latin word included practical skill, not just what is now called fine art.

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A heavy stationary cart resists a person's initial push; person leans with effort, wheels still in place, conveying resistance to starting motion.
noun

inertia

ih-NUR-shuh/ɪˈnɜːrʃə/

Resistance to a change in an existing state of motion or rest.

Etymology
inLatinnot; without
+ertLatinskill, craft, or art
+iaLatinmakes a noun for a state, quality, or associated thing

From “without skill,” the Latin noun came to mean inactivity or idleness. Physics gave that idea a special meaning: matter retains its existing state, whether resting or moving, unless something changes it.

Full entry

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