LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

inīquus

inīquus (feminine inīqua, neuter inīquum, comparative inīquior, superlative inīquissimus)
Classical[ɪˈniː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[iˈniː.kʷus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveunjust, unfair
    CHREMĒS: Vidē quam inīquō’ sīs prae studiō! CHREMES: Look how unfair you are because of your eagerness! (The apostrophe indicates elision with the following word, sīs.)166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 825
    Si iterum experiri velint, se iterum paratum esse decertare; si pace uti velint, iniquum esse de stipendio recusare, quod sua voluntate ad id tempus pependerint.If they chose to make a second trial, he was ready to encounter them again; but if they chose to enjoy peace, it was unfair to refuse the tribute, which of their own free-will they had paid up to that time.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.44
  2. adjectiveunequal, uneven
  3. adjectiveunfavourable, disadvantageous
  4. adjectiveunkind, hostile
  5. adjectiveunsuitable

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

unjust
inīquus — in Seneca, ch. XX

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeinīquusinīquainīquum
genitiveinīquīinīquaeinīquī
dativeinīquōinīquaeinīquō
accusativeinīquuminīquaminīquum
ablativeinīquōinīquāinīquō
vocativeinīqueinīquainīquum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeinīquīinīquaeinīqua
genitiveinīquōruminīquāruminīquōrum
dativeinīquīsinīquīsinīquīs
accusativeinīquōsinīquāsinīqua
ablativeinīquīsinīquīsinīquīs
vocativeinīquīinīquaeinīqua

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

aequi iniqui
friend and foe.
fenus iniquissimum, grande, grave
exorbitant rate of interest.

ĭnīquus, a, um, adj. 2. in-aequus,
I. unequal.
I. Lit.
A. Uneven, not level, steep: puppis, inflicta vadis, dorso dum pendet iniquo, Verg. A. 10, 303: juga montis iniqui, Ov. M. 10, 172.—
B. Not of the right measure, too great or too small: haeret Hylas lateri (Herculis), passusque moratur iniquos, greater than his own, Val. Fl. 3, 486: iniquae heminae, Pers. 1, 130: pocula iniqua, too large, Ser. Samm. 37: iniquo pondere rastri, too heavy, Verg. G. 1, 164; so, adhibitis iniquis ponderibus, Dig. 18, 1, 32: sol, too hot, Verg. A. 7, 227: merum, taken immoderately, Val. Fl. 3, 66.—
II. Transf.
A. Unfair, unjust: quam iniqui sunt patres omnes in adulescentes judices, Ter. Heaut. 2, 1, 7: pacem vel iniquā condicione retinere, Cic. Att. 8, 11, D, § 6: quid hoc iniquius dici potest, id. Quint. 2, 8: causa, Ter. And. 1, 5, 22: lex, Hor. S. 1, 3, 67: Parcae, id. C. 2, 6, 9: quis iniquae Tam patiens urbis, ut, etc., Juv. 1, 30: ventres modio castigare iniquo, with short measure, scanty fare, id. 14, 126: praeripere ... valde est iniquum, Cic. Har. Resp. 3, 6.—
B. Inimical, hostile, adverse: iniquum esse in aliquem, Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 25: homines natura asperi atque omnibus iniqui, Cic. Planc. 16, 40: animo iniquissimo infestissimoque aliquem intueri, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 55, § 144: obscurius iniqui, id. Fam. 1, 5, b, 2: sermones, id. ib. 1, 9, 20: vultu iniquo spectare, with an envious, spiteful look, Ov. A. A. 1, 313.— Subst.: ĭnīquus, i, m., an enemy, foe: iniqui mei, Cic. Planc. 16, 40; id. Fam. 11, 27, 7: tui, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 167 Zumpt: nonnulli nostri iniqui, id. Planc. 23, 57.— Also in sup.: omnibus iniquissimis meis, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 69 init.; cf. inimicus, and Zumpt, Gram. § 410.—
C. Hurtful, injurious, unfavorable, disadvantageous: loco iniquo subeundum erat ad hostes, Liv. 2, 31, 4: ascensu, id. 28, 16, 7: loca ad transitum, id. 8, 38, 6; cf. spatio, Verg. A. 5, 203; id. G. 4, 147: palus gnara vincentibus, iniqua (i. e. invia) nesciis, Tac. A. 1, 63: tributum iniquo suo tempore imperatum, Liv. 2, 23, 5: consilia cum patriae tum sibi capere, Nep. Paus. 3, 3: vina capiti, Plin. 13, 4, 9, § 44: casus, Verg. A. 6, 475: sortem miserari iniquam, hard, id. ib. 12, 243.— Comp.: in locum iniquiorem progredi, Caes. B. G. 2, 10, 4.— Sup.: iniquissimo nostris loco proelium committere coeperunt, Caes. B. G. 5, 32 fin.; so, locum subire, id. ib. 2, 27 fin.—
D. Unwilling, impatient, discontented: iniquo animo pati, Ter. Eun. 2, 1, 6: iniquo animo ferre aliquid, Cic. Tusc. 2, 2, 5: iniquissimo animo mori, id. de Sen. 23, 83: iniquae mentis asellus, Hor. S. 1, 9, 20: utrum aequo an iniquo animo mortem subieris jam nihil refert, Lact. 3, 27, 8: caelestes iniqui, ungracious, unkind, Ov. H. 8, 87.—
E. Unsuitable: hoc paene iniquum est, comico choragio conari agere nos tragoediam, Plaut. Capt. prol. 61.—
F. Imperfect, improperly drawn up: formula, Gai. Inst. 4, 57.— Hence, adv.: ĭnīquē.
1. Lit., unequally: quam inique comparatum est, Ter. Phorm. 1, 1, 7; cf.: numquam vidi iniquius concertationem comparatam, i. e. where the parties were more unequally matched, id. Ad. 2, 2, 4; and: hoc prope iniquissime comparatum est, etc., Cic. Clu. 21, 57.—
2. Trop.
a. Unfairly, unjustly (opp. jure): occidere, Liv. 39, 48, 2: facere aliquid erga aliquem, Plaut. Cas. 3, 4, 27: pacisci, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 14, § 37: expulsi, Auct. Or. pro Dom. 33: locum immeritum causari, Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 12.—
b. Unfitly, unsuitably: etsi inique Castorem cum Domitio comparem, Cic. Deiot. 11, 31.—
c. Not patiently, indignantly: aliquid ferre, Lact. 6, 4 med.; cf.: aliquid iniquissime ferre, Suet. Caes. 45.

Origins

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

Proto-Italic *aikʷos? Old Latin aiquos Latin aequus Latin inīquus From in- (“not”) + aequus (“equal, even, fair”).

Descendants
  • Catalaninic
  • Frenchinique
  • Romanianinicfrom French inique
  • Italianiniquo
  • Portugueseiníquo
  • Spanishinicuo
  • Spanishinicua

In English words that came into English from inīquus

  • iniquityinīquitās

Quick answers

What does inīquus mean in Latin?
inīquus, a adjective, means “unjust, unfair; unequal, uneven; unfavourable, disadvantageous”.
How do you pronounce inīquus?
In classical Latin, [ɪˈniː.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [iˈniː.kʷus].
Where does inīquus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *né → Proto-Indo-European *n̥- → Proto-Italic *n̥- → Latin inīquus.