innocent

/ˈɪnəsənt/IH-nuh-suhnt

/ˈɪnəsənt/IH-nuh-suhnt

Meaningharmless

Common meaning: free of guilt

inin, into; (before adjectives) not
nocto harmLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1211 · scan
entadjective ending: being or doing

‘in, into’ + ‘to harm’ → innocent

Journey through time

Latinnoceō; nex‘to harm’
Middle Englishinnocentsource
Englishinnocent‘free of guilt’ · today

in- also in: incest incite induce infamy infant

noc also in: noxious innocuous

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin noceō; nex ‘to harm’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry noceō, p. 1211 · dictionary scan

Roots

noceō; nex Latin “to harm”

Related words

innocuous noxious

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