internecine

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(ĭn'tər-nĕs'ēn', -ĭn, -nē'sīn') pronunciation
adj.
  1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organization, or group.
  2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides.
  3. Characterized by bloodshed or carnage.

[Latin internecīnus, destructive, variant of internecīvus, from internecāre, to slaughter : inter-, intensive pref.; see inter- + nex, nec-, death.]

WORD HISTORY   When is a mistake not a mistake? In language at least, the answer to this question is "When everyone adopts it," and on rare occasions, "When it's in the dictionary." The word internecine presents a case in point. Today, it usually has the meaning "relating to internal struggle," but in its first recorded use in English, in 1663, it meant "fought to the death." How it got from one sense to another is an interesting story in the history of English. The Latin source of the word, spelled both internecīnus and internecīvus, meant "fought to the death, murderous." It is a derivative of the verb necāre, "to kill." The prefix inter- was here used not in the usual sense "between, mutual" but rather as an intensifier meaning "all the way, to the death." This piece of knowledge was unknown to Samuel Johnson, however, when he was working on his great dictionary in the 18th century. He included internecine in his dictionary but misunderstood the prefix and defined the word as "endeavoring mutual destruction." Johnson was not taken to task for this error. On the contrary, his dictionary was so popular and considered so authoritative that this error became widely adopted as correct usage. The error was further compounded when internecine acquired the sense "relating to internal struggle." This story thus illustrates how dictionaries are often viewed as providing norms and how the ultimate arbiter in language, even for the dictionary itself, is popular usage.



Dr Johnson had a hand in changing the use of this word, which its Latin origin shows to mean 'characterized by great slaughter'. He mistakenly understood the prefix inter- to denote reciprocal or mutual action and defined internecine as 'endeavouring mutual destruction', thereby setting the word on the way to its primary current meaning. Despite the objections of the more fervent purists, who invoke the word's pre-Johnsonian credentials, it is used in its later meaning with reference to physical war and killing and has developed an extended or trivialized meaning applied to the battles of the boardroom and other areas of business and public life:
The electorate...finally gagged on their traditional roughage of internecine strife—Times, 1974
He was on edge, engaged in flaming rows, head-blasting music mayhem and internecine squabbling with his garage band compadres Crazy Horse—New Musical Express, 1991
That gives you some idea of the internal rivalry and internecine squabbling that went on—BBC History, 2004.

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categories related to 'internecine'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to internecine, see:
  • Violent Events - internecine: (adj) mutually destructive, esp. due to conflict within a group


Translations:

Internecine

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gensidigt ødelæggende

Nederlands (Dutch)
elkaar verwoestend, conflict binnen land/ organisatie etc., bloedig (gevecht etc.)

Français (French)
adj. - de destruction réciproque

Deutsch (German)
adj. - für beide Seiten vernichtend, Vernichtungs-

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αλληλοκτόνος, αλληλοεξοντωτικός

Italiano (Italian)
micidiale

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - destrutivo (para ambas as partes)

Русский (Russian)
междоусобный, разрушительный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - de aniquilación mutua, mortífero, destructivo

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - förödande för alla parter, inbördes

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
互相残杀的, 致命的, 两败俱伤的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 互相殘殺的, 致命的, 兩敗俱傷的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 서로 죽이는, 내분의, 살인적인

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 互いに殺し合う, 共倒れの, 内輪もめの, 内紛の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مميت, ضروس, , داخلي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮גורם להשמדה הדדית, הרסני‬


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