Indefinite

How to spell indefinite

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce indefinite

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does indefinite mean?

1. adjectiveNot fixed, limited, or precisely determined in time, amount, or extent.
2. adjectiveIn grammar, describing a word that does not refer to a specific person or thing, such as the article 'a' or pronouns like 'some' and 'any'.

Indefinite in a sentence

• The factory was closed for an indefinite period while repairs continued.

• The teacher explained that 'a' and 'an' are the indefinite articles in English.

• Her contract was extended for an indefinite term with no agreed finish date.

• Words like 'someone' and 'anything' function as indefinite pronouns.

Where does indefinite come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin indefinitus, which simply meant 'not limited' or 'not defined'. It was built from the negative prefix in- ('not') attached to definitus, the past participle of definire, a verb meaning 'to set bounds to' or 'to mark out the limits of'. That verb in turn rested on finis, the Latin noun for an 'end', a 'boundary', or a 'limit', the same root that gives us 'finish', 'final', and 'finite'. English adopted the word in the late 1500s, keeping the sense of something that has no fixed end or boundary, whether in time, quantity, or precision. Remembering that the core is finis ('end') helps with the spelling: the middle holds a single 'fin', and the word closes with '-ite' rather than the verb ending '-ine'.

How the word is built

• in- (not)
• de- (from)
• fin (end/boundary, from Latin finis)
• -ite (adjective suffix)