in·er·tia
Audio Help [in-ur-shuh, i-nur-] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [in-ur-shuh, i-nur-] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness. |
| 2. | Physics.
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| 3. | Medicine/Medical. lack of activity, esp. as applied to a uterus during childbirth when its contractions have decreased or stopped. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
inertia
To learn more about inertia visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| in·er·tia
Audio Help (ĭ-nûr'shə) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Latin, idleness, from iners, inert-, inert; see inert.] in·er'tial adj., in·er'tial·ly adv. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
inertia
1713, used as a term in physics 17c. by Ger. astronomer and physician Johann Kepler (1571-1630), from L. inertia "unskillfulness, idleness," from iners (gen. inertis) "unskilled, inactive," see inert. Used in Mod.L. by Newton (1687). Sense of "apathy" first recorded 1822.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| inertia | |
noun | |
| 1. | a disposition to remain inactive or inert; "he had to overcome his inertia and get back to work" [syn: inactiveness] [ant: activeness] |
| 2. | (physics) the tendency of a body to maintain its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
iˈnertia [-ʃiə] noun
the state of being inert
Example: It was difficult to overcome the feeling of inertia that the wine and heat had brought on.
See also: inertExample: It was difficult to overcome the feeling of inertia that the wine and heat had brought on.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
| inertia
Audio Help (ĭ-nûr'shə) Pronunciation Key
The resistance of a body to changes in its momentum. Because of inertia, a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion continues moving in a straight line and at a constant speed, unless a force is applied to it. Mass can be considered a measure of a body's inertia. See more at Newton's laws of motion, See also mass. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
inertia [(i-nur-shuh)]
In physics, the tendency for objects at rest to remain at rest, and for objects in uniform motion to continue in motion in a straight line, unless acted on by an outside force. (See Newton's laws of motion.)
[Chapter:] Physical Sciences and Mathematics
| The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Inertia
In*er"ti*a\, n. [L., idleness, fr. iners idle. See Inert.]1. (Physics) That property of matter by which it tends when at rest to remain so, and when in motion to continue in motion, and in the same straight line or direction, unless acted on by some external force; -- sometimes called vis inerti[ae]. 2. Inertness; indisposition to motion, exertion, or action; want of energy; sluggishness. Men . . . have immense irresolution and inertia. --Carlyle. 3. (Med.) Want of activity; sluggishness; -- said especially of the uterus, when, in labor, its contractions have nearly or wholly ceased. Center of inertia. (Mech.) See under Center.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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