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inner

 - 3 dictionary results

in⋅ner

  [in-er]
Use inner in a Sentence
–adjective
1. situated within or farther within; interior: an inner door.
2. more intimate, private, or secret: the inner workings of the organization.
3. of or pertaining to the mind or spirit; mental; spiritual: the inner life.
4. not obvious; hidden or obscure: an inner meaning.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE innera, comp. based on the adv. inne within, inside; see inmost, -er 4

Related forms:
in⋅ner⋅ly, adverb, adjective
in⋅ner⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To inner
in·ner   (ĭn'ər)   
adj.  

  1. Located or occurring farther inside: an inner room; an inner layer of warm clothing.

  2. Less apparent; deeper: the inner meaning of a poem.

  3. Of or relating to the mind or spirit: "Beethoven's manuscript looks like a bloody record of a tremendous inner battle" (Leonard Bernstein).

  4. More exclusive, influential, or important: the inner circles of government.


[Middle English, from Old English innera; see en in Indo-European roots.]
in'ner n., in'ner·ly adv. & adj., in'ner·ness n.
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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Word Origin & History

inner 
c.1400, from O.E. inra, comp. of inne (adv.) "inside" (see in). Inner city, in ref. to poverty and crime, is attested from 1968.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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