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.’

190 / 306
A close three-quarter view of a woman actively taking a spoonful of food into her mouth, with the spoon bowl crossing her lips and a small bowl of soup held below.
noun

ingestion

in-JES-chun/ɪnˈdʒestʃən/

The taking of material into the body by swallowing.

Etymology

The pieces express an act of carrying or putting something in. The underlying verb also meant “pour in,” connecting the general inward movement to taking food, drink, or other substances into the body.

Full entry

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