Incestuous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsɛstjuəs/

Definitions

1. Describing relationships or activities that are inappropriately close, exclusive, or self-contained, often within a family or small group
2. Pertaining to sexual relationships between closely related family members ; marked by overly tight or closed networks within a group or organization
3. Relating to forbidden sexual connections among relatives ; showing signs of limited or insular interactions within a community or system

Etymology: The adjective "incestuous" is a straightforward formation: it is the noun "incest" with the suffix "-ous," meaning "full of" or "having the quality of." The noun itself came into English from Old French "inceste," which in turn came from Latin "incestus," meaning "impure" or "unchaste." That Latin word was built from "in-," meaning "not," and "castus," meaning "pure," so the root idea is something defiled or not chaste. The suffix has a longer ancestry. The "-ous" ending passed through Old French "-us" and Middle English "-ous" from Latin "-osus," which traces back to Proto-Italic forms, ultimately from the same ancient root that gave English words like "pious" and "notorious." Its job was to turn nouns into adjectives describing abundance or a characteristic quality. The figurative sense, describing tight, closed networks in groups or organizations, grew out of the literal sense as a metaphor for an unhealthy insularity: a group that refuses outside blood or ideas, much as the original sense refers to relations within a family that should not mate.

Synonyms: inbreeding, nepotistic

Antonyms: exogamous