intrinsic

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(ĭn-trĭn'zĭk, -sĭk) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent.
  2. Anatomy. Situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts. Used of certain nerves and muscles.

[Middle English intrinsique, inner, from Old French intrinseque, from Late Latin intrīnsecus, inward, from Latin, inwardly.]

intrinsically in·trin'si·cal·ly adv.


means 'inherent, essential, belonging naturally' and is the opposite of extrinsic:
The study of portraits on coins is...as much about the political factors that influenced them as about their intrinsic or moral interest—A. Burnett, 1991.
See exterior 2. The corresponding adverb is intrinsically.

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adjective

    Forming an essential element, as arising from the basic structure of an individual: built-in, congenital, connatural, constitutional, elemental, inborn, inbred, indigenous, indwelling, ingrained, inherent, innate, native, natural. See be, native/foreign, start/end.

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intrinsic

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Inherent, belonging to the essential nature of something.

pronunciation To have that sense of one's intrinsic worth which constitutes self-respect is potentially to have everything... — Joan Didion, US journalist, novelist.

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  1. of or pertaining to the essential nature of something; inherent.
  2. (in morphology) peculiar to, or situated in a part.
intrinsically adv.

Previous:intravenous, intrathecal, intrapleural
Next:intrinsic activity, intrinsic birefringence, intrinsic constant

Situated entirely within, or pertaining exclusively to, a part.

  • i. factor — see intrinsic factor.
  • i. host determinants — characteristics peculiar to the host that affect the spread and occurrence of a disease.
  • i. nerve — some evidence exists for the presence of autonomous nerves, without connection to the CNS, in the adventitia of small arteries and arterioles.
  • i. pathway, i. system — see coagulation pathways.
  • i. protein — see membrane proteins.

adj

Naturally occurring within; inherent; essential.

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categories related to 'intrinsic'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to intrinsic, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Intrinsically.
Translations:

Intrinsic

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - egentlig, reel, væsentlig, indre, som kommer indefra, iboende

Nederlands (Dutch)
intrinsiek

Français (French)
adj. - intrinsèque

Deutsch (German)
adj. - immanent, inner, wesentlich

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - εσώτερος, εσωτερικός, έμφυτος, συμφυής, εγγενής, ενυπάρχων, ουσιαστικός

Italiano (Italian)
intrinseco

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - intrínseco

Русский (Russian)
подлинный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - intrínseco

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - inre, verklig, reell

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
本身的, 固有的, 本质的, 内在的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 本身的, 固有的, 本質的, 內在的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 본질적인, 내재성의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 本来備わっている, 固有の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) جوهري, حقيقي, طبيعي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מולד, יסודי, פנימי, עצמי, מהותי, סודי‬


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