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inertia

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in⋅er⋅tia

  [in-ur-shuh, i-nur-]
Use inertia in a Sentence
–noun
1. inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.
2. Physics.
a. the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.
b. an analogous property of a force: electric inertia.
3. Medicine/Medical. lack of activity, esp. as applied to a uterus during childbirth when its contractions have decreased or stopped.
Origin:
1705–15; < L: lack of skill, slothfulness. See inert, -ia

Related forms:
in⋅er⋅tial, adjective

Synonyms:
1. torpor, inaction, laziness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·er·tia   (ĭ-nûr'shə)   
n.  

  1. Physics The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

  2. Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change: the inertia of an entrenched bureaucracy.


[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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

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.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·er·tia
Pronunciation: in-'&r-sh&, -shE-&
Function: noun
1 a : a property of matter by which it remains atrest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force b : an analogous property of other physical quantities (as electricity)
2 : lack of activity or movement —used especially of the uterus in labor when its contractions are weak or irregular
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

inertia in·er·tia (ĭ-nûr'shə)
n.

  1. The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

  2. Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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