📖 I — The English dictionary · page 12

inborn — Everyday, meaning 1: Inborn means present in a person or animal from birth, not learned later, like an inborn talent or an inborn fear.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (medicine) An inborn condition is one a baby is born with.↗ Example: She has an inborn talent for music.↗ · Babies have an inborn ability to suck.↗ · Some people think kindness is inborn, but it can be learned too.↗ · Ducklings have an inborn instinct to follow their mother.↗ · His love of animals seemed inborn.↗ · Fear of loud noises is inborn in babies.↗ · Practice can beat inborn talent.↗ · The doctor said the heart problem was inborn.↗ · His inborn cheerfulness, he said, had been tested by a member of the Polytechnic Institution, and the experiment had made him completely happy.↗

inca — Everyday, meaning 1: The Incas were a people of the Andes mountains in South America who built a huge empire with its capital at Cusco, in today's Peru.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The Inca was also the title of their emperor, the ruler of the empire.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Inca or Incan describes things from this people and empire.↗ e.g. Inca roads, Inca gold.↗ Example: The Incas built Machu Picchu high in the Andes.↗ · Inca runners carried messages along stone roads.↗ · The Inca ruled from the city of Cusco.↗ · The Incas recorded numbers with knots on strings called quipu.↗ · Spanish soldiers came looking for Inca gold.↗ · Inca farmers grew hundreds of kinds of potato.↗ · Walkers hike the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu.↗

incalculable — Everyday, meaning 1: Incalculable means too great or too many to be counted or measured.↗ Example: The treasure was of incalculable value.↗ · The sea holds incalculable numbers of fish.↗ · The peasant gained an incalculable sum of money.↗

incandescence — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The light given off by something because it is very hot, like a glowing metal wire or lava.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (literary) A strong bright glow or a burning strong feeling.↗ Example: An old light bulb shines by incandescence when its wire gets white-hot.↗ · The incandescence of the lava lit up the night.↗ · Red-hot iron in the blacksmith's fire shows incandescence.↗ · LED bulbs don't use incandescence, so they waste less heat.↗ · The candle flame glows by incandescence of tiny soot bits.↗ · The incandescence of the sparkler lit up our faces on Bonfire Night.↗

incandescent — Everyday, meaning 1: Giving out bright light because it is very hot, as in an incandescent light bulb.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Extremely angry, as in «incandescent with rage».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Very bright, brilliant or full of feeling.↗ Example: An incandescent bulb gets very hot.↗ · The lava was incandescent and orange.↗ · The blacksmith's iron was incandescent in the fire.↗ · Dad was incandescent with rage about the scratched car.↗ · LED bulbs use less energy than incandescent ones.↗ · Her smile was incandescent.↗

incantation — Everyday, meaning 1: An incantation is a set of words chanted or spoken as a magic spell.↗ Example: The witch whispered an incantation over the pot.↗ · He repeated the incantation three times.↗ · At the magician's incantation the floods rose like mountains.↗

incapable — Everyday, meaning 1: If you are incapable of doing something, you cannot do it, because you do not have the ability or power.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Incapable can mean not able to look after yourself, for example because of illness or being very drunk.↗ Example: My grandmother is incapable of being unkind.↗ · The baby is incapable of walking yet.↗ · Penguins are incapable of flying.↗ · He seemed incapable of sitting still.↗ · The old car was incapable of going up the steep hill.↗ · Without his glasses, he was incapable of reading the sign.↗ · She's incapable of telling a lie.↗ · He gave his hat to Liza, who took it scornfully; for she had no imagination, and was quite incapable of understanding the motives of such a man.↗

incapacity — Everyday, meaning 1: Not being able to do something, especially because of illness, injury or weakness.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law, money) Being unable to work because of illness or disability; some countries pay incapacity benefit.↗ Example: Grandad's incapacity after his fall meant he needed help at home.↗ · She received support during her incapacity to work.↗ · His incapacity to keep a secret got him into trouble.↗ · Long illness can lead to incapacity.↗ · The law has rules for people with mental incapacity.↗ · But at length they began to give over, from mere incapacity to hold any more.↗

incarnation — Everyday, meaning 1: (church) The Incarnation is the Christian belief that God the Son became a human being, Jesus, born of Mary.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person or thing that shows a quality perfectly: «She is the incarnation of kindness.».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: One of the lives or forms of someone or something: «in a past incarnation», «the latest incarnation of the phone».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (Hindu belief) A form in which a god appears on earth, such as Krishna as an incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu.↗ Example: At Christmas Christians celebrate the Incarnation.↗ · Christians believe Jesus is God's incarnation as a man.↗ · Hindus see Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu.↗ · The villain was the incarnation of evil.↗ · In a past incarnation, our teacher was a chef.↗ · This is the newest incarnation of the game.↗ · No wonder Brer Rabbit is so 'cute: he is nothing less than an incarnation of Buddha.↗

incautiously — Everyday, meaning 1: Without care; carelessly, without thinking about danger or consequences.↗ Example: Alice incautiously mentioned her cat to the Mouse.↗ · He leaned incautiously over the side of the boat and fell in.↗ · Toad incautiously boasted to the gaoler's daughter.↗ · The fox crept incautiously into the farmyard.↗ · She incautiously told everyone the secret.↗ · Never cross the road incautiously.↗

incense — Everyday, meaning 1: (church) A substance, often made from tree gum, that gives off a sweet-smelling smoke when it is burned, used in worship.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The smoke itself.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, stress on -CENSE) To make someone extremely angry.↗ Example: The priest swung the incense burner during the service.↗ · The church smelled of incense.↗ · The wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.↗ · Incense smoke rose slowly towards the ceiling.↗ · She was incensed when someone kicked over her sandcastle.↗ · The unfair rule incensed the whole class.↗ · The incense rises in clouds, and the monks chant the funeral hymn.↗ · one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; (Torah NUM.7.14, JPS 1917)↗ · and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as the LORD commanded Moses.↗ (Torah EXO.40.27, JPS 1917)↗ · oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; (Torah EXO.25.6, JPS 1917)↗ · A people that provoke Me to My face continually, that sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense upon bricks; (Prophets ISA.65.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.↗ (Writings PSA.141.2, JPS 1917)↗ · and thou didst take thy richly woven garments and cover them, and didst set Mine oil and Mine incense before them.↗ (Prophets EZK.16.18, JPS 1917)↗

incessant — Everyday, meaning 1: Incessant means never stopping, going on and on without a break.↗ Example: The incessant rain flooded the road.↗ · The baby's incessant crying kept us awake.↗ · His incessant questions made the teacher smile.↗ · That smote the peoples in wrath with an incessant stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.↗ (Prophets ISA.14.6, JPS 1917)↗

incessantly — Everyday, meaning 1: Without stopping, all the time, often in an annoying way.↗ e.g. The dog barked incessantly.↗ Example: It rained incessantly for three days.↗ · The baby cried incessantly all night.↗ · My little brother talks incessantly.↗ · The phone rang incessantly.↗ · He complained incessantly about the food.↗ · The tap dripped incessantly.↗ · Though they chattered incessantly I could not understand a word they said, nor did they heed when I spoke to them.↗

inch — Everyday, meaning 1: An inch is a small unit of length, about as wide as your thumb; 12 inches make 1 foot.↗ A foot is 12 inches.↗ A yard is 36 inches.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To inch forward is to move very slowly, a little bit at a time.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «Every inch» means all of something.↗ Example: The grasshopper jumped 19 inches.↗ · The ribbon is 36 inches long.↗ · The plant grew 2 inches.↗ · How many inches farther did the frog jump?↗ · My ruler is 12 inches long.↗ · We got 6 inches of snow last night.↗ · The cat inched closer to the bird.↗ · The line moved inch by inch.↗ · They ordered a 14-inch pizza.↗ · He searched every inch of his room for the key.↗ · At this second lie, his nose grew a few more inches.↗

incidence — Everyday, meaning 1: The incidence of something, like an illness or a crime, is how often it happens.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) The angle of incidence is the angle at which a ray of light hits a surface, measured from the normal line.↗ Example: The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.↗ · We measured the angle of incidence with a protractor.↗ · There is a high incidence of colds in winter.↗ · Washing hands lowers the incidence of tummy bugs.↗ · The report shows the incidence of road accidents has fallen.↗ · Draw the normal before you mark the angle of incidence.↗

incident — Everyday, meaning 1: An incident is something that happens, especially something unusual, unpleasant or dangerous.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) An incident is used in police and news reports for a crime, accident or fight, sometimes as a softer word.↗ Example: Please report any incident to a teacher.↗ · There was a small incident in the playground.↗ · The trip went without incident.↗ · Police are investigating the incident.↗ · The incident book records every accident.↗ · There were 3 incidents on Monday and 5 on Tuesday; how many in all?↗ · Sometimes, however, a less familiar incident occurs.↗

incinerate — Everyday, meaning 1: To burn something completely until only ashes are left, especially rubbish or waste.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) To destroy completely with great heat, as with lasers in stories.↗ Example: The town incinerates its rubbish to make electricity.↗ · Hospitals incinerate used needles safely.↗ · The meteor was incinerated as it fell through the atmosphere.↗ · In the film, the dragon incinerated the castle gates.↗ · Burning plastic at home is dangerous; it should not be incinerated in a garden fire.↗ · Garden waste is often composted rather than incinerated.↗

incinerator — Everyday, meaning 1: An incinerator is a furnace or machine for burning rubbish at very high temperatures until it turns to ash.↗ Example: The town burns its rubbish in an incinerator.↗ · Some incinerators use the heat to make electricity.↗ · People worried about smoke from the new incinerator.↗ · Medical waste goes to a special incinerator.↗ · An incinerator burns 200 tonnes a day; how much in a week?↗ · Recycling means less waste goes to the incinerator.↗

incipient — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Just beginning to happen or to show: an incipient cold, incipient baldness.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In an early stage, before it is fully grown or obvious.↗ Example: The doctor spotted an incipient infection and gave him medicine.↗ · An incipient crack in the dam worried the engineers.↗ · Grandad has incipient baldness, he jokes.↗ · There were incipient signs of spring: tiny green buds.↗ · The storm was still incipient, just a dark line of clouds.↗ · The gardener caught the incipient disease before it spread to the other roses.↗

incise — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To cut carefully into a surface, such as stone, wood or skin.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To carve a pattern or letters into something.↗ Example: Ancient people incised patterns on their pots.↗ · The names were incised in the stone.↗ · The surgeon incised the skin carefully.↗ · Use a cocktail stick to incise lines in the clay.↗ · The carver incised a fish shape on the wood.↗

incision — Everyday, meaning 1: An incision is a careful cut made into something, especially a cut a surgeon makes into the body during an operation.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An incision is a neat cut or notch made with a sharp tool.↗ Example: The surgeon made a small incision to take out the appendix.↗ · After the operation the incision was closed with stitches.↗ · Keep the incision clean and dry.↗ · The vet made an incision in the dog's paw to remove the thorn.↗ · The chef made an incision in each sausage.↗ · The scar from the incision faded over time.↗

incisor — Everyday, meaning 1: One of the sharp, flat front teeth used for biting and cutting food.↗ Example: We use our incisors to bite into an apple.↗ · My front incisor is wobbly.↗ · Beavers have big orange incisors for chewing wood.↗ · Adults have eight incisors.↗ · Incisors are sharp and flat like chisels.↗ · A rabbit's incisors keep growing all its life.↗

incite — Everyday, meaning 1: To stir up or encourage people to do something bad or violent, or to feel angry.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) To urge someone to commit a crime, which can itself be a crime.↗ Example: The man was arrested for inciting a riot.↗ · Posting hateful messages can incite violence.↗ · The villain incited the crowd to storm the castle.↗ · Words can incite hatred, so choose them with care.↗ · He incited his friends to break the rules.↗ · May He incite death against them, let them go down alive into the nether-world; for evil is in their dwelling, and within them.↗ (Writings PSA.55.16, JPS 1917)↗ · And he sent messengers unto Abimelech in Tormah, saying: 'Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they will incite the city against thee.↗ (Prophets JDG.9.31, JPS 1917)↗

incitement — Everyday, meaning 1: The act of encouraging or stirring people up to do something bad, violent or against the law.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) The crime of urging people to commit a crime or violence: «incitement to violence», «incitement to hatred».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Something that pushes people to act; a cause or reason.↗ Example: He was arrested for incitement to violence.↗ · Incitement to hatred is against the law.↗ · The speech was an incitement to riot.↗ · Posting threats online can be incitement.↗ · The judge said the words were a clear incitement.↗ · Shouting «Get him!» to a crowd can be incitement.↗