LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

ineptus

ineptus (feminine inepta, neuter ineptum, comparative ineptior)
Classical[ɪˈnɛp.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[iˈnɛp.tus]
inepte sg. voc. m.

Meaning

  1. adjectiveunsuitable
  2. adjectiveimpertinent, improper, tasteless
  3. adjectivesenseless, silly
    DĀVUS: Eho, inepta, nescīs quid sit āctum? MȲSĪS: Quid sciam?DAVUS: Hey, silly [woman], don’t you realize what has just happened? MYSIS: How should I know?166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 791
  4. adjectivepedantic
  5. adjectiveabsurd
  6. adjectiveinept

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

stultus, nōn aptus
ineptus -a -um — in Epistulae, ch. 5

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeineptusineptaineptum
genitiveineptīineptaeineptī
dativeineptōineptaeineptō
accusativeineptumineptamineptum
ablativeineptōineptāineptō
vocativeinepteineptaineptum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeineptīineptaeinepta
genitiveineptōrumineptārumineptōrum
dativeineptīsineptīsineptīs
accusativeineptōsineptāsinepta
ablativeineptīsineptīsineptīs
vocativeineptīineptaeinepta

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

ineptum esse (De Or. 2. 4. 17)
to be silly, without tact.

ĭneptus, a, um, adj. 2. in-aptus,
I. unsuitable, impertinent, improper, tasteless, senseless, silly, pedantic, absurd, inept, without tact (class.): quem enim nos ineptum vocamus, is mihi videtur ab hoc nomen habere ductum, quod non sit aptus. Idque in sermonis nostri consuetudine perlate patet. Nam qui aut tempus quid postulet, non videt, aut plura loquitur, aut se ostentat, aut eorum quibuscum est, vel dignitatis, vel commodi rationem non habet, aut denique in aliquo genere aut inconcinnus aut multus est, is ineptus esse dicitur, Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 17: nihil insolens aut ineptum, id. Or. 9, 29: negotium, id. Tusc. 1, 35, 86: causa, Ter. And. 1, 5, 22: lusibus advertere numen ineptis, Ov. Tr. 2, 223: sententiae inepto inanique impetu, Gell. 12, 2, 1: ineptus et jactantior hic paulo est (i. q. nimis officiosus, negotiosus ardelio), Hor. S. 1, 3, 49: chartae, waste-paper, id. Ep. 2, 1, 270: lictor, foolish, impertinent, Pers. 5, 175.—Comp.: quod est multo ineptius, Quint. 9, 2, 70.— Sup.: ineptissimae figurae, Quint. 9, 3, 100: ineptissimum est, with a subject - clause, id. 1, 7, 2; 11, 3, 126.— As an abusive epithet: quid est, inepta, quid rides? Ter. Eun. 5, 7, 6; so, inepte, Ov. R. Am. 472; id. Am. 1, 14, 36; id. A. A. 1, 306.— Adv.: ĭneptē, improperly, impertinently, foolishly, absurdly, ineptly (class.): interdum inepte stultus es, Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 64: disserere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 6, 11: dicere, id. Brut. 82, 284: nil molitur inepte, Hor. A. P. 140: inepte et frigide uti verbis, Gell. 13, 24, 7: fautor ( = favens), Hor. S. 1, 10, 2: cornicari, Pers. 5, 12. — Comp.: delirare, Lact. Inst. 3, 17.— Sup.: ineptissime fieri, Quint. 11, 3, 131.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥-
  4. Latinineptus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *h₂ptós Proto-Italic *aptos Latin aptus Latin ineptus From in- + aptus.

Descendants
  • Englishinept
  • Frenchinepte
  • Italianinetto
  • Portugueseinepto
  • Romanianinept
  • Spanishinepto
  • Galicianinepto

In English words that came into English from ineptus

  • ineptineptus
  • ineptitudeineptitūdō

Quick answers

What does ineptus mean in Latin?
ineptus, a adjective, means “unsuitable; impertinent, improper, tasteless; senseless, silly”.
How do you pronounce ineptus?
In classical Latin, [ɪˈnɛp.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [iˈnɛp.tus].
Where does ineptus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *né → Proto-Indo-European *n̥- → Proto-Italic *n̥- → Latin ineptus.