internal
UK /ɪnˈtɜː.nəl/ · US /ɪnˈtɜɹ.nəl/ adjective
Forms internall
- adjective Of or situated on the inside. “We saw the internal compartments of the machine.”
- adjective (medicine) Within the body. “Her bleeding was internal.”
- adjective Concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state or other political community. “The nation suffered from internal conflicts.”
- adjective Concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation. “An internal investigation was conducted.”
- adjective (biology) Present or arising within an organism or one of its parts. “an internal stimulus”
- adjective (pharmacology) Applied or intended for application through the stomach by being swallowed. “an internal remedy”
- adjective Experienced in one's mind; inner rather than expressed. “internal feelings”
- adjective Of the inner nature of a thing.
Synonyms
intrinsic inherent inner inly interior intern interne intragroup home national intimate
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English internall, internalle, borrowing from New Latin internālis (“of or pertaining to the inner part”), from internus (“inward, internal”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). By surface analysis, intern + -al.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Inward; interior; being within any limit or surface; inclosed; --opposed to external; as, the internal parts of a body, or of the earth.
- adjective Derived from, or dependent on, the thing itself; inherent; as, the internal evidence of the divine origin of the Scriptures.
Etymology [L. internus; akin to interior. See Interior.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “internal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details