*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of inert

From French inerte, from Latin iners (“inactive, inert”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Unable to move or act; inanimate. · Sluggish or lethargic. · Not readily reacting with other elements or compounds. · Having no therapeutic action.

verb

To fill with an inert gas to reduce the risk of explosion.

noun

A substance that does not react chemically.

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

From French inerte, from Latin iners (“inactive, inert”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*h₂er-ine-pro
  • Unspecified derivation mentioninertefr
  • Unspecified derivation mentioninersla
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂er-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "inerte"
      },
      "expansion": "French inerte"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "iners",
        "4": "",
        "5": "inactive, inert"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin iners (“inactive, inert”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "inerte",
      "inerte#French"
    ],
    [
      "iners",
      "iners#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Unable to move or act; inanimate.",
        "Sluggish or lethargic.",
        "Not readily reacting with other elements or compounds.",
        "Having no therapeutic action."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "0b0746d89540669bb1c3318a47ad4e0af797dbeef0727453bfcc49ece5eb5406",
      "rawRecordSha256": "30518098ebe2910417ff4c30c4f370f17b8707df2bcfb1ab75cb16230a7eef2f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 256293
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To fill with an inert gas to reduce the risk of explosion."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "24cf8d684d516b47bede0fb136eefbb1967e123cbb1570858d5fcc535489853f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f235c3b07ede113f1667d31547ae25d386e290a46d5fd4fcfa48c242dd1a8811",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 256295
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A substance that does not react chemically."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e2c314dedbcd6c5476ee5644ba1578b7d4a59a581a81fdf4bbc44f47405b4e1c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d87bb2546ed596f6c3afe7c32bcb2222bf29cd8829d00706689aef9b5703eb6c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 256294
    }
  ],
  "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 inert →

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-aW5lcnQ