rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: in-
Latin

in-

in, into, on, upon

Forms

  • in-
  • im- — Used before b, m, or p in Latin.
  • il- — Used before l in Latin.
  • ir- — Used before r in Latin.
  • en- — Developed in French in some words later borrowed into English.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *en, ‘in.’

Note

Identical spellings can hide two different prefixes: this one indicates position or direction, while the other means ‘not.’

67 / 306
A close cutaway view of a dental implant being screwed firmly into jawbone beneath the gum, with a dental driver still engaged.
noun

implantation

im-plan-TAY-shun/ˌɪmplænˈteɪʃn/

The securing of something firmly within surrounding tissue or material.

Etymology
imLatinin, into, on, upon
+plantFrenchto plant
+ationFrenchan action, process, or result

The underlying image is “planting in”: inserting something so that it is established within its surroundings. In the medical sense, the surroundings are body tissue.

Full entry

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