internecine
pronunciation
How to pronounce internecine in British English:
UK [ˌɪntəˈni:saɪn]
How to pronounce internecine in American English:
US [ˌɪntərˈnisaɪn]
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- Adjective:
- (of conflict) within a group or organization
- characterized by bloodshed and carnage for both sides
Word Origin
- internecine
- internecine: [17] Etymologically, internecine denotes ‘attended by great slaughter’. Its modern connotations of ‘conflict within a group’, which can be traced back to the 18th century (Dr Johnson in his Dictionary 1755 defines it as ‘endeavouring mutual destruction’), presumably arise from the standard interpretation of inter- as ‘among, between’. But in fact in the case of internecine it was originally used simply as an intensive prefix.The word was borrowed from Latin internecīnus, a derivative of internecāre ‘slaughter, exterminate’. This was a compound verb formed with the intensive inter- from necāre ‘kill’ (a relative of English necromancy and pernicious).=> necromancy, pernicious
- internecine (adj.)
- 1660s, "deadly, destructive," from Latin internecinus "very deadly, murderous, destructive," from internecare "kill or destroy," from inter (see inter-) + necare "kill" (see noxious). Considered in the OED as misinterpreted in Johnson's Dictionary [1755], which defined it as "endeavouring mutual destruction," on association of inter- with "mutual" when the prefix supposedly is used in this case as an intensive. From Johnson, wrongly or not, has come the main modern definition of "mutually destructive."
Example
- 1. Every now and then great parties suffer internecine convulsions .
- 2. The internecine conflicts are especially acute where the ownership is divided equally .
- 3. Their politics has become so introspective and internecine that even the biggest question-mark over their country 's future seems a distraction .
- 4. Marx foresaw constant internecine warfare among capitalists , resulting in fewer and fewer controlling vaster and vaster empires .
- 5. It has repeatedly been used by occupying militias and governments over the years of internecine fighting in afghanistan .