insinuation
/ˌɪnˌsɪnjuːˈeɪʃən/in-sin-yoo-AY-shuhn
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/ˌɪnˌsɪnjuˈeɪʃən/in-sin-yoo-AY-shuhn
Meaningthe act of insinuating
Common meaning: a sly hint
Tap a word part to explore
- inin, into; (before adjectives) not
- sinua bend, curve; a foldLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1709 · scan
- atverb or adjective ending: to make, having
- ionnoun ending: act or result
‘in, into’ + ‘a bend, curve’ → insinuation
Journey through time
- Latinsinus‘a bend, curve’
- Englishinsinuate‘to hint at something unpleasant’
- Englishformed in English from insinuateinsinuation‘a sly hint’ · today
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: Formed in English from insinuate + -ion.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), INSINUATE, p.295 · scan
Roots
- sinus Latin “a bend, curve; a fold”
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