inimicus

Latin

Etymology

From in- (“not”) +‎ amīcus (“friend”).

For the word formation compare Russian не́друг (nédrug, “enemy, foe”) formed as не- (ne-) + друг (drug, “close friend”), неприя́тель (neprijátelʹ, “enemy, adversary”) formed as не- (ne-) + прия́тель (prijátelʹ, “friend, chum”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /i.niˈmiː.kus/, [ɪnɪˈmiːkʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /i.niˈmi.kus/, [iniˈmiːkus]

Noun

inimīcus m (genitive inimīcī); second declension

1. enemy, foe (someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else)

   Synonym: hostis

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	inimīcus	inimīcī
genitive	inimīcī	inimīcōrum
dative	inimīcō	inimīcīs
accusative	inimīcum	inimīcōs
ablative	inimīcō	inimīcīs
vocative	inimīce	inimīcī

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • → Albanian: armik, anmik, anëmik — Gheg
• Dalmatian:
  • nemaic, nemaik
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: nemico, nimico
  • Neapolitan: nemmìco
  • Sicilian: nimicu
• Sardinian:
  • Sardinian: anemigu
• Padanian:
  • Friulian: nimì, inimì
  • Romansch: inimi
  • Venetan: nemigo
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: enemi, anemi, enemy, ennemi, inimi, inimic
    • Middle French: ennemy, ennemi, ẽnemy
      • French: ennemi
    • Norman: enn'mîn
    • → Middle English: enemy, enemye, enmy
      • English: enemy
      • Scots: enemy
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: enemic
  • Occitan: enemic
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: enemigu
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: ẽemigo
    • Galician: inimigo (partially latinized)
    • Portuguese: inimigo (partially latinized)
  • Old Spanish: enemigo
    • Spanish: enemigo
• Borrowings:
  • → Romanian: inamic, inimic

Adjective

inimīcus (feminine inimīca, neuter inimīcum, comparative inimicior, superlative inimicissimus); first/second-declension adjective

1. unfriendly, hostile, inimical

   Synonyms: hostīlis, īnfestus, īnfēnsus, oblīquus, adversus, dīversus, āversus, inīquus

   Antonyms: affābilis, amīcābilis, facilis, benevolēns

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.67–68:

     “Gēns inimīca mihī Tyrrhēnum nāvigat aequor,
     Īlium in Ītaliam portāns vīctōsque Penātēs.”

     “A race inimical to me is sailing the calm Tyrrhenian Sea, bringing Ilium to Italy, along with [their] conquered household-gods.”
     (Juno is describing the Trojan war survivors led by Aeneas. See: Tyrrhenian Sea; Troy; Di Penates.)

2. injurious

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	inimīcus	inimīca	inimīcum		inimīcī	inimīcae	inimīca
genitive	inimīcī	inimīcae	inimīcī		inimīcōrum	inimīcārum	inimīcōrum
dative	inimīcō	inimīcae	inimīcō		inimīcīs
accusative	inimīcum	inimīcam	inimīcum		inimīcōs	inimīcās	inimīca
ablative	inimīcō	inimīcā	inimīcō		inimīcīs
vocative	inimīce	inimīca	inimīcum		inimīcī	inimīcae	inimīca

Descendants

• French: ennemi
• Italian: nemico
• Spanish: enemigo

References

• “inimicus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “inimicus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• inimicus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• inimicus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Professor Kidd, et al. Collins Gem Latin Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers (Glasgow: 2004). →ISBN. page 180.