The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (40 page)

in saecula saeculorum (in sekyoola
sekyooloram) LATIN [to the ages of
ages] adverb phrase for ever, for all
time, to eternity: "Humans will strive
to push back the limits of knowledge in
saecula saeculorum."

in se (in sue) LATIN [in itself] adverb
phrase in itself, of itself, intrinsically (used chiefly in philosophical
discussion).

inshallah (inshalah), in sha Allah
ARABIC [if Allah wills] interjection if
Allah wishes, by the grace of God:
"Shams al-Din replied, `Thy slave shall
stand in thy presence tomorrow, Inshallah,
if it be God's will"' (Richard Burton,
trans., "The Tale of the Three Apples,"
Arabian Nights, 1885-88).

insignia (insigneea) LATIN [plural of
insigne badge, mark, derived from
insignis distinguished by a mark] noun
(plural insignia or insignias) a
badge or official emblem of rank, honor, or authority: "Any landsman
observing this gentleman, not conspicuous
by his stature and wearing no pronounced
insignia, emerging from his cabin to the
open deck, and noting the silent deference
of the officers retiring to leeward, might
have taken him for the King's guest, a civilian aboard the King's-ship, some highly
honorable discreet envoy on his way to an
important post" (Herman Melville, Billy
Budd, 1924).

in situ (in sityoo) LATIN [in position]
adverb phrase in its natural or original position: "Everything has been left
in situ in case the forensic experts need to
make a record." 'abbreviated form in s.

insomnia (insomneel) LATIN [from
insomnis sleepless] noun inability to
get adequate sleep, sleeplessness: "Mr.
Gould, senior, did not desire the perpetual
possession of that desolate locality; in fact,
the mere vision of it arising before his mind
in the still watches of the night had the
power to exasperate him into hours of hot
and agiated insomnia" (Joseph Conrad,
Nostromo, 1904).

insouciance (insooseeons, insoosyons)
FRENCH [heedlessness, from in and
soucier to trouble, disturb] noun nonchalance, unconcern, indifference: By
the selection of horses, the magnfcence
of the chariot, the attitude, and display of
person above all, by the expression of the
cold, sharp, eagle features, imperialized
in his countrymen by sway of the world
through so many generations, Ben-Hur knew Messala unchanged, as haughty,
confident, and audacious as ever, the
some in ambition, cynicism, and mocking
insouciance" (Lew Wallace, Ben Hur,
1880).

instanter (instanta) LATIN [urgently,
vehemently] adverb instantly, immediately, at once: "`It's gude to have a
friend at court,' he said, continuing his
heartless harangues to the passive auditor,
who neither heard nor replied to them;
few folk but myself could hae sorted ye
out a seat like this the Lords will be here
incontinent, and proceed instanter to trial"'
(Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian,
1818).

in statu quo (in statyoo kwo, in stachoo kwo) LATIN [in the state in
which, abbreviated from in statu
quo ante in the original state] adverb
phrase in the former condition, in
the same states as before, as always:
"'And what state is your militia actually
in?' Awful! It is what my boss, the judge,
sometimes calls a "statu quo""' (James
Fenimore Cooper, Autobiography of a
Pocket-Handkerchief, 1843).

Int. See INTERIM.

intacta See VIRGO INTACTA.

intaglio (intaleeo, intahleeo, intagleeO) ITALIAN [engraving, from intagliare to engrave, cut] noun (plural
intaglios or intagli) an engraving
or figure sunk in relief in stone or

other hard material; also applied to
such images printed or stamped in
relief on paper. adjective of or relating to such an image: "It was an antique
intaglio stone in an Etruscan setting, -a
wild goose flying over the Campagna."
(Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mortal
Antipathy, 1885).

Int. al. See INTER ALIA.

in tandem (in tandam) LATIN [in in
and tandem at length] adverb phrase
together or in conjunction: "The Police
Department is working in tandem with the
FBI on this case."

intelligentsia (intelijentscca, intelaseen) RUSSIAN Iintelligentsiya,
from Latin intelligentia intelligence]
noun (plural intelligentsias) the
intellectual or cultural elite within
a society or nation: "The worst menace
to sound government is not the avowed
socialists but a lot of cowards who work
under cover the long-haired gentry who
call themselves `liberals' and `radicals' and
non-partisan'and 'intelligentsia'and God
only knows how many other trick names!"
(Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt, 1922).

inter- (intar) LATIN [between or
among] prefix between or among, e.g.,
intercollegiate, interbreeding.

inter alia (inter yleea, intar ahhleea)
LATIN [among other things] adverb
phrase together with other things,
in addition to other things: "if you are going to be in London for a few days, I
believe you can be very useful to me, at a
considerable expense and trouble to yourself, in the way of buying accoutrements;
inter alia, a sword and a saddle, not, you
will understand, for my own use" (Thomas
Carlyle, Lfe of John Sterling, 1851).
'abbreviated form i.a. or int. al.

inter alios (intar aleeos, inter
ahleeos) LATIN [among others] adverb
phrase among other people, among
other persons.

interim (intarim, intaram) LATIN
[meanwhile] noun (plural interims)
an interlude or interval of time: "In
the interim until the new law is passed
we shall continue to sell these products
as before." -adjective temporary, provisional, for the meantime. -adverb
meanwhile. -abbreviated form int.

intermezzo (intametsO) ITALIAN [intermediate thing, from Latin intermedius intermediate] noun (plural
intermezzo, intametso, or intermezzi, intametsee) a brief interlude
or diversion, or in music a short
movement between major sections
of an opera or other lengthy composition: "As they lifted the casket,
Paine began playing on the orchestrelle
Schubert's 'Impromptu,' which was Jean's
favorite. Then he played the Intermezzo;
that was for Susy; then he played the
Largo; that was for their mother" (Mark
Twain, What is Man and Other Essays,
1906).

inter nos (intar nOS) LATIN [between
us] adverb phrase between ourselves.

internuncio (intarnunseeo) ITALIAN
[internunzio, from Latin inter between
and nuntius messenger] noun (plural
internuncios) a go-between, mediator, or messenger between two parties; also a rank borne by a papal
representative or ambassador: "He was
asked by the president to act as internuncio
between the two sides"

inter partes (intar pahrteez) LATIN
[between parties] adjective phrase between the parties (usually parties to
a legal case).

interregnum (intaregnam) LATIN [from
inter between and regnum reign] noun
(plural interregnums or interregna,
intaregna) the period between two
successive reigns or regimes, or a
temporary interruption or pause in
the normal run of things: "Upon a
dim, warm, misty day, toward the close of
November, and during the strange interregnum of the seasons which in America
is termed the Indian Summer, Mr. Bedloe
departed as usual for the hills" (Edgar
Allan Poe, "A Tale of the Ragged
Mountains," 1844).

inter se (inter s), inter sese LATIN
[among themselves] adverb phrase between themselves, among themselves.

inter Vivos (inter vivos, intar veevOs, intar wivOs, inter weevOS) LATIN [between the living] adverb phrase between living persons (especially in
relation to gifts made between parties
who are both still alive). 'adjective
phrase of or relating to deals or gifts
made between living parties.

intifada (intifahda) ARABIC [shaking
off] noun an uprising (specifically,
the Palestinian rebellion against the
Israeli occupation in 1987): "The intifada provoked fears that the whole of
the region would be ignited in a wave of
violence."

in toto (in tOtO) LATIN [on the whole]
adverb phrase completely, entirely,
totally, wholly: "The enterprise cost him
several million dollars in toto."

intra muros (infra M)'00OS) LATIN
[within the walls] adjective phrase internal, relating to the internal politics
of an organization or institution.

in transit (in tranzit) LATIN [from in
transitu in passage] adverb phrase on
the way: "The parcel is in transit and
should be with you tomorrow." -abbreviated form in trans.

intra vires (infra vireez, infra wlreez)
LATIN [within the powers] adverb phrase
within the scope, within the powers
(usually in relation to the authority
of a court, corporation, or government body): "The Secretary argued that
his decision was intra vires, but critics

argued that he had acted beyond his
powers."

introit (introit) FRENCH [from Latin
introitus entrance] noun an entrance
or the opening of a religious office or
passage of sacred music: "The chorister
chants with joy the introit for paschal
time."

in utero (in ttaro) LATIN [in the
uterus] adverb phrase in the womb,
before birth: "Serious defects can now be
detected while the baby is still in utero."
-adjective phrase of or relating to life
in the womb or before birth.

Inv. See INVENIT.

in vacuo (in vakyooo, in wakyooo)
LATIN [in a vacuum] adverb phrase in
a vacuum, without context.

invenit (inynit, inwanit) LATIN [he/
she invented it] verb he/she invented
it, discovered it, designed it. -abbreviatedform inv. or invt.

invenit et delineavit (invaynit et delineeahvit, inwaynit et delineeahvit)
LATIN [he/she designed and drew it]
verb he/she designed and drew it.
'"abbreviated form inv. et del.

inv. et del. See INVENIT ET DELINEAVIT.

in vino veritas (in veeno veritas, in
webno weritas) LATIN [in wine, truth] noun phrase there is truth in wine (or,
a person who drinks alcohol is more
likely to reveal the truth of things).

in vitro (in veetro, in weetrO) LATIN
[in glass] adverb phrase in a test tube,
outside the living body, in an artificial
environment. 'adjective phrase of or
relating to an environment outside
the living body: "Big advances have been
made in the field of in vitro fertilization
in recent years."

in vivo (in veevo, in weewo) LATIN
[in the living] adverb phrase within
the living body (of a plant or animal).
'adjective phrase of or relating to an
environment within the living body (of
a plant or animal).

invt. See INVENIT.

iota (iota) GREEK [ninth letter of the
Greek alphabet, considered the smallest of the letters] noun a very small
amount, a scrap or bit: "I do not believe
one iota of what you have said."

ipse dixit (ipsee diksit, ipsay diksit)
LATIN [he himself said it] noun phrase
(plural ipse dixits) an unproved
assertion or saying.

ipso facto (ipso fakto) LATIN [by the
fact itself] adverb phrase by the very
fact, by that very fact, thereby: "The
room was empty, so, ipso facto, this could
not have been the way they had come."

irredenta (ireedenta) ITALIAN [unredeemed, from irredenta Italia unredeemed Italy] noun (plural irredentas)
a territory that has close historical,
cultural, or ethnic links with a particular state while not being part of
it politically: "They annexed Tibet, but
they had argued themselves into the belief
that this was ancient Chinese territory,
China irredenta" (Punch, February 1,
1967).

-ista (eesta) SPANISH [from Latin,
ultimately from Greek -istes] suffix
denoting a supporter or follower of
someone or something, e.g., Sandinista,fashionista.

-itis (itis) GREEK [feminine form of
adjectives ending in -ites] suffix denoting an inflammatory disease, e.g.,
arthritis; also used jocularly to refer
to a condition or a state of mind that
is like an illness in some way, e.g.,
lazyitis.

jabot (zhabO) FRENCH [bird's crop]
noun an ornamental lace or cloth
frill, as attached to the neckband of
men's shirts in the 18th century or
as attached to the front of women's
blouses and dresses in modern times:
AboutVida's new jabot which made her look
thirty-two (Vida's estimate) or twenty-two
(Raymie's estimate) ..." (Sinclair Lewis,
Main Street, 1920).

j'accuse (zhakooZ) FRENCH [I accuse]
noun phrase an allegation or charge,
typically against official injustice (in
imitation of Emile Zola's famous article beginning with the words "J'accuse"
published in the newspaper L'Aurore
on January 13, 1898, and relating to
the Dreyfus affair, alleging that a Jewish army officer convicted of treason
had been wrongly condemned by the
French military).

jacquard (zhakahrd) FRENCH [after
Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752-1834),
inventor of the jacquard loom] noun a
piece of fabric woven on a jacquard
loom, or the loom on which such material is made: "...from a hand loom
to a Jacquard---a jacquard that weaves
fair forms and wondrous flowers beyond
Arachne's utmost dream ..." (Robert
Green Ingersoll, A Thanksgiving Sermon, 1897).