717
inquire
comments had an inner meaning. | an inner certainty | He
knows nothing about my inner self. 4 of the mind or spirit:
the inner life → compare OUTER
inner 'city n the central part of a city, especially an area with
a high (usually poor) population, old buildings in bad
condition etc: The government plans an extensive building
programme to revitalize the inner cities/the inner city areas. |
inner city decay
Inner 'Hebrides, the a group of islands west of Scotland
and east of the OUTER HEBRIDES. The largest islands are Skye,
Islay, and Mull, and the whole area attracts many tourists in
summer.
inner 'light n [S] (often caps.) a heavenly presence, especially
in the Quaker religion, to help and guide the soul
inner 'man,, ,inner 'woman fem. n [the] 1 the soul; the
mind 2 humor desire for food; APPETITE: A juicy steak and
kidney pudding should satisfy the inner man!
Inner Mon'golia a REGION of northern China which is
known for its grasslands and desert
in-ner-most /'ɪnəməʊst||-nər-/ adj [A no comp.] INMOST
inner 'planet n any of the PLANETS Mercury, Venus, Earth,
or Mars, whose ORBITS are nearer the Sun than those of the
other planets
inner 'space n [U] 1 space at or near the Earth's surface,
especially under the sea 2 the unconscious human mind
Inner 'Temple, the a London organization of law students
and BARRISTERS and the buildings they use, which is the
oldest of the four INNS OF COURT
'inner tube n the circular air-filled tube inside a TYRE
inner-tube v [I] AmE to ride on an inner tube either in water
or down a snow-covered hill: Let's go inner-tubing after
school!
in-ning /'ɪnɪŋ/ n any of the usually nine playing periods into
which a game of BASEBALL or SOFTBALL is divided
in-nings /'ɪnɪŋz/ n pl. innings 1 the period of time during
which a cricket team or player BATS: England made 302 in
their first innings. | He played a brilliant innings. 2 BrE infml a
time when one is active, especially in a public position, or
alive: I've had a good innings but it's time for me to retire.
in-nit /ɪnɪt/ BrE spoken used at the end of a statement or in
reply to a statement, often to emphasize what has just been
said: 'Did you see the way Schumacher went past him?' 'Innit.'
inn-keep-er /'ɪnˌkiːpər/ n old use a person who owns or runs
an INN → compare PUBLICAN
in-no-cent /'ɪnəsnt/ adj 1 [(of)] (of a person) not guilty of a
crime or SIN; blameless: He was innocent of the crime. | They
hanged an innocent man. | acts of terrorism against innocent
people | In the British and American legal systems, an accused
person is innocent till proven guilty. → see Feature on page
A23 2 (of a thing) harmless in effect or intention: innocent
enjoyment/pleasures | He was startled by their angry response
to his innocent remark. 3 often derog (of a person) having little
experience of the world and not able to recognize evil; NAIVE:
an innocent young child —ly adv —cence n [U] He protested
his innocence loudly as they dragged him off to prison.
in-noc-u-ous /ɪ'nɒkjuəs||ɪ'nɑːk-/ adj 1 (especially of an
action or statement) not likely to or intended to harm or
offend: I made a perfectly innocuous remark and he got most
upset. 2 not having harmful effects: Would you like to try
some of the local wine? It's quite innocuous! —ly adv
—ness n [U]
in-no-vate /'ɪnəveɪt/ v [I] to make changes, introduce new
ideas, inventions etc —vator n
in-no-va-tion /ˌɪnə'veɪʃn/ n 1 [C] a new idea, method, or
invention: recent innovations in printing techniques 2 [U]
the introduction of new things: If our industries shy away
from innovation, we will never compete successfully with other
countries.
in-nov-at-ive /'ɪnəˌveɪtɪv/ also in-nov-a-tor-y /-ˌveɪtəri||
-vətɔri/ BrE- adj apprec 1 newly invented or introduced;
different from, and especially better or cleverer than, previ-
ous ones: innovative printing techniques | innovative
ideas 2 tending or liking to introduce new ideas or meth-
ods: a very innovative manager/firm
Inns of 'Court, the the four law societies and their
buildings in London, for students and practising BARRISTERS,
which an English barrister must belong to. The four societies
are Lincoln's Inn, the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, and
Gray's Inn.
in-nu-en-do /ˌɪnju'endəʊ/ n pl. -does or -dos 1 [C] a remark
that suggests something unpleasant or disapproving without
saying it directly 2 [U] (the making of) such unpleasant
remarks: scurrilous newspapers that print rumour and innu-
endo → see also INSINUATION
In-nu-it /'ɪnjuɪt 'ɪnuɪt/ n [U] another spelling of INUIT
in-nu-me-ra-ble /'ɪnjuːmərəbl||'ɪnjuː-, 'rnuː-/ adj too
many to be counted
in-nu-mer-ate /'ɪnjuːmərət||'ɪnjuː-, 'rnuː-/ adj BrE not
understanding calculation with numbers; not NUMERATE →
compare ILLITERATE —acy n [U]
i-noc-u-late /ɪ'nɒkjʊleɪt||ɪ'nɑː-/ v [T(with, against)] to intro-
duce a weak form of a disease into (someone), especially by
INJECTION as a protection against the disease: The doctor
inoculated her with the serum. | Have you been inoculated
against hepatitis? → compare IMMUNIZE, VACCINATE
—lation /ɪˌnɒkjʊ'leɪʃn||ˌnɑː-/ n [C;U] a certificate of
inoculation
in-of-fen-sive /ˌɪnə'fensɪv+/ adj (of a person or their behav-
iour) not causing any harm or offence: an inoffensive
manner | a quiet inoffensive little man —ly adv —ness n
[U]
in-op-er-a-ble /ɪn'pərəbl||ɪn'ɑː-/ adj 1 (of an illness or a
growth) that cannot be treated or removed by an operation
so as to cure the person: I'm afraid her condition is
inoperable. | an inoperable tumour 2 fml which cannot be put
into practice; not practical
in-op-er-a-tive /ɪn'ɒpərətɪv||n'ɑː-/ adj 1 (especially of a
machine) not working or able to work as usual 2 (of a law,
rule etc) not in effect or not able to be put into effect
in-op-por-tune /ɪn'ɒpətjuːn||ˌɪnəpɚ'tuːn/ adj fml unsuit-
able, especially because happening at an inconvenient time:
They called at an inopportune moment, when we were about to
go out. | an inopportune visit/remark —ly adv —ness n [U]
in-or-di-nate /ɪ'nɔːdɪnət||-ɔːr-/ adj fml beyond reasonable
limits: inordinate demands for higher wages | It has taken an
inordinate length of time. (=too long) —ly adv
in-or-gan-ic /ˌɪnɔː'gænɪk ||-ɔːr-/ adj 1 not of living mat-
erial; not ORGANIC 2 not showing the pattern or organiza-
tion typical of natural growth → compare INANIMATE —ally
/klɪ/ adv
inorganic 'chemistry n [U] the scientific study of inor-
ganic material
'in-,patient n someone staying in a hospital for treatment →
compare OUTPATIENT
in pro-pri-a per-so-na /ɪn ˌprəʊpriə pə'səʊnə||-pər-/ adv
Lat in person, without the help of a lawyer
in-put1 /'ɪnpʊt/ n [S;U] 1 something that is put in for use,
especially by a machine, such as electrical current or infor-
mation for a computer: As the input of energy is increased,
the volume gets louder. 2 something, such as advice, infor-
mation, or effort, that is provided in order to help some-
thing succeed or develop: We mustn't forget the sales
department's input. (=the help, information etc they gave)
input2 v -tt- past tense & participle inputted or input [T(into)] to put
(information) into a computer: Have you inputted the new
data yet?
input/'output n, adj → see I/O
in-quest /'ɪŋkwest/ n [(on, into)] an official inquiry, usually to
find out the cause of a sudden or unexpected death, espe-
cially when there is a possibility of crime: The inquest on his
death will be held next Thursday. | (fig.) There's bound to be an
inquest into the England team's terrible performance.
in-qui-e-tude /ɪn'kwaɪətjuːd||-tuːd/ n [U] fml anxiety; lack
of peace of mind
in-quire, en- /ɪn'kwaɪər/ v [I(about into);T] 1 to ask for
information: I'll inquire about the trains. | I inquired the way
to the station. | [+wh-] I inquired whether the 6:00 train would
leave on time. 2 inquire within (a sign or notice saying that
information can be found inside) → see ASK (USAGE)
—quirer n