Intrinsic

How to spell intrinsic

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce intrinsic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does intrinsic mean?

1. adjectiveBelonging naturally to something as an essential and inseparable part of its character.

Intrinsic in a sentence

• The painting has an intrinsic value far beyond its auction price.

• Job satisfaction often comes from intrinsic rewards rather than the salary.

Where does intrinsic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin adverb intrinsecus, meaning 'inwardly' or 'on the inside', which was assembled from intra 'within' and secus 'alongside' or 'following'. In late Latin and medieval usage it came to describe something belonging to the inner nature of a thing rather than to its surroundings. English took it in during the 1400s by way of Old French, at first in anatomical and medical writing about parts lying deep inside the body, and only later broadened it to mean a quality that is essential and built in. The matching opposite, 'extrinsic', was formed in the same way from extra 'outside', and keeping that pair in mind helps fix the spelling. The tricky middle is the unstressed 'sin' syllable, where the 's' is often pronounced like a 'z', tempting writers toward a wrong spelling, but the Latin secus root keeps it firmly an 's'.

How the word is built

• intrin- (from Latin intrinsecus: inwardly, on the inside)
• -ic (adjective suffix)