English word origin

Etymology of im-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Latin im- English im- From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

prefix

Expressing negation; not.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Latin im- English im- From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionim-la

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":uder",
        "3": "la:im-",
        "id": "not",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *né\nProto-Indo-European *n̥-\nProto-Italic *n̥-\nLatin in-\nLatin im-\nEnglish im-\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*n̥-\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"in-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"im-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"uder\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"im-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"not\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"im-\" id=\"English:_not\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "im-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin im-"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":uder",
        "3": "la:im-",
        "id": "not",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *né\nProto-Indo-European *n̥-\nProto-Italic *n̥-\nLatin in-\nLatin im-\nEnglish im-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*né",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/né#Proto-Indo-European:_not"
    ],
    [
      "*n̥-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/n̥-#Proto-Indo-European:_not"
    ],
    [
      "*n̥-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/n̥-#Proto-Italic:_un"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Latin:_not"
    ],
    [
      "im-",
      "im-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "im-",
      "im-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "in-",
      "in-#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Expressing negation; not."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "ed1e5b83e941649c4c78e52f48d20252ba8c85f0af9eefe32447bee1d6a1ba0b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7e2ece6cf0dd34cb52a80ed55182296696a941de40e69cb0a8bc5b00f5cc2097",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 155309
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prefix

Alternative form of the prefix em-, itself variant of en-.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From em-, from Old French em-. Also from later Middle French im-, partly by confusion with im- of Latin origin (on which see above).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionem-fro
Unspecified derivation mentionim-frm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "em-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French em-"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "im-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French im-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "em-",
      "em-#English"
    ],
    [
      "em-",
      "em-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "im-",
      "im-#Middle_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of the prefix em-, itself variant of en-."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "ad6108ff8d4f30d9aaf8dcfe4ee03e9130266323e094bceb3c0f1c78d3c64abd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f65f81004c4e9a836f994cfbb04cefbdb77ef7c23c2ef8e4161155b402f14317",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 155310
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for im- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aW0t