intrinsic
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent
-
anatomy situated within or peculiar to a part
intrinsic muscles
Related Words
See essential.
Other Word Forms
- intrinsically adverb
Etymology
Origin of intrinsic
First recorded in 1480–90; Middle English intrinsique “inner,” from Old French intrinseque “internal, inner,” from Late Latin intrinsecus “inward” (adjective), from Latin intrinsecus “on the inside, inwards” (adverb), equivalent to intrin- (from int(e)r-, as in interior + -im, an old accusative ending used as an adverb suffix + secus “beside,” derivative of sequī “to follow”)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Abel wrote that Berkshire will buy back its shares if prices trade below an estimate of intrinsic value.
For most adults, reading is a private endeavor, intrinsic to selfhood.
He averaged those estimates to come up with his intrinsic value estimate.
From Barron's
"What we conclude is that these color qualities don't emerge from additional external constructs such as cultural or learned experiences but reflect the intrinsic properties of the color metric itself," Bujack said.
From Science Daily
Existing models, even those developed in China, "have intrinsic bias towards Western values, culture and ethos -- as a product of being trained heavily on that consensus", Sai told AFP.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.