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.’

210 / 306
An older man receives a vaccine injection in his exposed upper arm from an older female clinician, shown in a tight, uncluttered clinical vignette.
verb

inoculate

in-AH-kyoo-layt/ɪˈnɑːkjuleɪt/

To administer material that builds protection against disease.

Etymology
inLatinin, into, on, upon
+oculLatineye
+ateLatinhaving or having undergone something

An “eye” here was a plant bud: inoculating originally meant grafting a bud into another plant. This image of implantation transferred to introducing disease material into the body to produce immunity.

Full entry

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