inertia definition | Dictionary.com

in⋅er⋅tia

[in-ur-shuh, i-nur-]

–noun

1.	inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.

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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Link To inertia

in·er·tia (ĭ-nûr'shə)

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.
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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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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Language Translation for : inertia

Spanish: inercia,

German: die Trägheit,

Japanese: だるさ

More Translations »

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.)

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.

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

inertia in·er·tia (ĭ-nûr'shə)
n.

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

inertia (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.

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