LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

inertia

inertia f (genitive inertiae)
Classical[ɪˈnɛr.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[iˈnɛr.t͡si.a]

Meaning

  1. femininewant of art or skill, unskillfulness, ignorance
  2. broadlyfeminineinactivity, idleness, laziness, indolence

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

ōtium iners, segnitia
inertia -ae (f) — in Epistulae, ch. 2

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeinertiainertiae
genitiveinertiaeinertiārum
dativeinertiaeinertiīs
accusativeinertiaminertiās
ablativeinertiāinertiīs
vocativeinertiainertiae

ĭnertĭa, ae, f. id.,
I. want of art or skill, unskilfulness, ignorance.
I. Lit. (rare but class.): animi (spectantur), quemadmodum affecti sint, virtutibus, vitiis; artibus, inertiis, Cic. Part. 10, 35; Petr. 135, 6. —
II. Transf., in gen., inactivity, idleness, laziness (very freq.): inertia atque torpedo, Cato ap. Gell. 11, 2, 6: id largiamur inertiae nostrae, Cic. de Or. 1, 15, 68: castigare segnitiem hominum atque inertiam, id. ib. 1, 41, 185: laboris, aversion to labor, id. Rosc. Com. 8, 24: operis, Liv. 33, 45, 7 al.— In an oxymoron: strenua, Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 28; cf. inquieta, Sen. Tranq. 12, 2.

Origins

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

Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- Proto-Indo-European *h₂értis Proto-Italic *artis Latin ars Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin inertia From in- + ars (“art, skill”) + -ia.

Descendants
  • Catalaninèrcia
  • Englishinertia
  • Frenchinertie
  • Italianinerzia
  • Occitaninercia
  • Portugueseinércia
  • Romanianinerție
  • Spanishinercia
  • Galicianinercia
  • Russianине́рция

In English words that came into English from inertia

  • inertiainertia

Quick answers

What does inertia mean in Latin?
inertia, a noun, means “want of art or skill, unskillfulness, ignorance; inactivity, idleness, laziness, indolence”.
What is the genitive of inertia?
The genitive singular is inertiae. inertia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce inertia?
In classical Latin, [ɪˈnɛr.ti.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [iˈnɛr.t͡si.a].
Where does inertia come from?
Proto-Indo-European *né → Proto-Indo-European *n̥- → Proto-Italic *n̥- → Latin inertia.