Internal

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈtɜːnəl/

Definitions

1. Located, existing, or occurring on the inside of something or within the body or mind
2. Referring to something that exists or takes place within, such as the inner aspects of a physical object or the psychological state of a person
3. Being situated on the inside of an object or body ; connected to the inner operations of a group or structure

Etymology: The adjective "internal" comes from Middle English "internall" and "internalle," which borrowed from New Latin "internālis," meaning "of or pertaining to the inner part." That Latin form was built from "internus," meaning "inward," with the adjectival suffix "-ālis" attached, the same suffix found in words like "national" and "final." Looking at the word's shape, it is easy to take it for "intern" plus "-al," and that surface analysis is accurate in outline, even though the Latin source runs through "internus" rather than an English noun. The word's meaning follows its physical sense closely. Something internal is literally located inside a thing, and the sense of being inward has stayed stable since the word arrived in English. Its later extensions, such as internal reasoning or internal affairs, all grow out of that original picture of something enclosed within a boundary.

Synonyms: inner, inside, interior, domestic, intrinsic

Antonyms: external, outer, outside, superficial, extrinsic