inimical
/ɪˈnɪmɪkəl/
adjective
Origin
Latin
inimicus — enemy
Overview
Meaning Now
- Tending to obstruct or harm.
- Unfriendly or hostile.
Literal older meaning
in the manner of an enemy
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
inimicus
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term enters English as a direct borrowing from Latin, retaining its formal nuance. It describes not just active hostility, but a quality of being detrimental or unfavorable to a process or state of affairs.
Evolution
- Proto-Italic
*in-amīcus
“not a friend”
Compound of in- (not) + amīcus (friend).
- Classical Latin
inimicus
“enemy, hostile”
- Late Latin
inimicalis
“hostile”
Formation of an adjectival form.
- 16th Century English
inimical
“hostile”
Adopted into English from the Latin root.
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
not
amic-
root
friend
-al
suffix
pertaining to
Related across languages
French
ennemi
enemy
Spanish
enemigo
enemy
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Related to inimical
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.