inertia

[in-ur-shuh, ih-nur-] /ɪnˈɜr ʃə, ɪˈnɜr-/

noun

inertness, especially with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.

Physics.

the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.
an analogous property of a force:
electric inertia.

Medicine/Medical. lack of activity, especially as applied to a uterus during childbirth when its contractions have decreased or stopped.

Origin

1705-15; < Latin: lack of skill, slothfulness. See inert, -ia

Related forms

inertial, adjective

noninertial, adjective

Synonyms

1. torpor, inaction, laziness.

Examples from the web for inertia

Inadequate resources, poor coordination, and bureaucratic inertia or a failure to heed warnings can have tragic consequences.
He had introduced the notion of inertia, and the concept of acceleration as a change in velocity.
Be this a difference of inertia, of bulk or of form, matters not to the argument-Spencer.
Some of this may be the result of simple inertia, but our hesitancy to change is also driven by our aversion to loss.
Any academic practice that rests largely on inertia is one that's ripe for hacking.
Engine has to cross this zone only by means of inertia of the over all system.
In fact, the inertia of county officials is responsible for their failure to adopt the new system in obedience to the law.
But by this time a kind of momentum had built up, and the inertia of exposure could not be restrained.
The same is true of my torso, with the result that backache from inertia and pressure is a chronic irritation.
But the inertia of ice sheets is not our ally against the effects of global warming.

British Dictionary definitions for inertia

inertia

/ɪnˈɜːʃə; -ʃɪə/

noun

the state of being inert; disinclination to move or act

(physics)

the tendency of a body to preserve its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force
an analogous property of other physical quantities that resist change: thermal inertia

Derived Forms

inertial, adjective

Word Origin and History for inertia

1713, introduced as a term in physics 17c. by German astronomer and physician Johann Kepler (1571-1630), from Latin inertia "unskillfulness, idleness," from iners (genitive inertis) "unskilled, inactive;" see inert. Used in Modern Latin by Newton (1687). Sense of "apathy" first recorded 1822.

inertia in Medicine

inertia in·er·tia (ĭ-nûr'shə)
n.

The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.
Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change.

inertia in Science

inertia

(ĭ-nûr'shə)
The resistance of a body to changes in its momentum. Because of inertia, a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion continues moving in a straight line and at a constant speed, unless a force is applied to it. Mass can be considered a measure of a body's inertia. See more at Newton's laws of motion, See also mass.

inertia in Culture

inertia [(i-nur-shuh)]

In physics, the tendency for objects at rest to remain at rest, and for objects in uniform motion to continue in motion in a straight line, unless acted on by an outside force. (See Newton's laws of motion.)