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innocuous

 - 7 dictionary results

in⋅noc⋅u⋅ous

  [i-nok-yoo-uhs]
Use innocuous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L innocuus. See in- 3 , nocuous

Related forms:
in⋅noc⋅u⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
in⋅noc⋅u⋅ous⋅ness, in⋅no⋅cu⋅i⋅ty  [in-uh-kyoo-i-tee] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To innocuous
in·noc·u·ous   (ĭ-nŏk'yōō-əs)   
adj.  

  1. Having no adverse effect; harmless.

  2. Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.


[From Latin innocuus : in-, not; see in-1 + nocuus, harmful (from nocēre, to harm; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots).]
in·noc'u·ous·ly adv., in·noc'u·ous·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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Main Entry:  innocuous1
Part of Speech:  adj
Definition:  harmless; innoxious
Etymology:  Latin in- + nocere 'to injure'
Main Entry:  innocuous2
Part of Speech:  adj
Definition:  unlikely to arouse strong feeling; insipid
Etymology:  Latin in- + nocere 'to injure'
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
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Word Origin & History

innocuous 
1598, from L. innocuus "harmless," from in- "not" + nocuus "hurtful," from root of nocere "to injure, harm," from causative form of PIE *nek- "death."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: in·noc·u·ous
Pronunciation: in-'äk-y&-w&s
Function: adjective
: producing no injury : not harmful —in·noc·u·ous·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

innocuous in·noc·u·ous (ĭ-nŏk'y&oomacr;-əs)
adj.
Having no adverse effect; harmless.

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