Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
internecine - 4 dictionary results

in⋅ter⋅ne⋅cine

  [in-ter-nee-seen, -sahyn, -nes-een, -nes-ahyn]
Use internecine in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group: an internecine feud among proxy holders.
2. mutually destructive.
3. characterized by great slaughter; deadly.
Also, in⋅ter⋅ne⋅cive  [in-ter-nee-siv, -nes-iv] .

Origin:
1655–65; < L internecīnus, internecīvus murderous, equiv. to internec(āre) to kill out, exterminate (inter- inter- + necāre to kill) + -īnus -ine 1 , -īvus -ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To internecine
in·ter·nec·ine   (ĭn'tər-něs'ēn', -ĭn, -nē'sīn')   
adj.  
  1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organization, or group.
  2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides.
  3. Characterized by bloodshed or carnage.

[Latin internecīnus, destructive, variant of internecīvus, from internecāre, to slaughter : inter-, intensive pref.; see inter- + nex, nec-, death; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: When is a mistake not a mistake? In language at least, the answer to this question is "When everyone adopts it," and on rare occasions, "When it's in the dictionary." The word internecine presents a case in point. Today, it usually has the meaning "relating to internal struggle," but in its first recorded use in English, in 1663, it meant "fought to the death." How it got from one sense to another is an interesting story in the history of English. The Latin source of the word, spelled both internecīnus and internecīvus, meant "fought to the death, murderous." It is a derivative of the verb necāre, "to kill." The prefix inter- was here used not in the usual sense "between, mutual" but rather as an intensifier meaning "all the way, to the death." This piece of knowledge was unknown to Samuel Johnson, however, when he was working on his great dictionary in the 18th century. He included internecine in his dictionary but misunderstood the prefix and defined the word as "endeavoring mutual destruction." Johnson was not taken to task for this error. On the contrary, his dictionary was so popular and considered so authoritative that this error became widely adopted as correct usage. The error was further compounded when internecine acquired the sense "relating to internal struggle." This story thus illustrates how dictionaries are often viewed as providing norms and how the ultimate arbiter in language, even for the dictionary itself, is popular usage.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Internecine

In`ter*ne"cine\, a. [L. internecinus deadly, murderous, fr. internecare to kill, to slaughter; inter between + necare to kill; akin to Gr. ? dead. See Necromancy.] Involving, or accompanied by, mutual slaughter; mutually destructive.

Internecine quarrels, horrible tumults, stain the streets with blood. --Motley.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

internecine 
1663, from L. internecinus "very deadly, murderous, destructive," from internecare "kill or destroy," from inter- (q.v.) + necare "kill." Considered in the OED as misinterpreted in Johnson's Dictionary [1755], which defined it as "endeavouring mutual destruction," on association of inter- with "mutual" when the prefix supposedly is used in this case as an intensive. From Johnson, wrongly or not, has come the main modern definition of "mutually destructive."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see internecine on Thesaurus | Reference