Insertion

How to spell insertion

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce insertion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does insertion mean?

1. nounThe act of putting something into something else, or the thing that has been put in.
2. nounThe point at which a muscle is attached to the bone it moves.

Insertion in a sentence

• The editor approved the insertion of a new paragraph into the report.

• The textbook labelled the origin and the insertion of each muscle.

• Careful insertion of the key prevented damage to the old lock.

• The physiotherapist explained that pain often starts near the tendon insertion.

Where does insertion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb inserere, meaning 'to plant in' or 'to graft', formed from the prefix in- ('into') and serere ('to join, link, or sow'). The past participle of that verb was insertus, and from it Latin built the noun insertio, describing the act of putting one thing inside another. English took the word up in the early 1600s, at first in technical and grammatical writing, then more broadly for anything slotted into a gap. The same serere root quietly underlies a family of English words, including 'series' (things joined in a row) and 'assert' (to join your words firmly to a claim). Knowing that the core is sert, not 'cert', helps fix the spelling: there is no 'c', and the ending is the regular -ion noun suffix.

How the word is built

• in- (into)
• sert (from Latin serere, to join or connect)
• -ion (noun-forming suffix)