intrinsic
/ɪnˈtɹɪn.zɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms intrinsics intrinsick
- adjective Innate, inherent, inseparable from the thing itself, essential. “the intrinsic value of gold or silver”
- adjective (anatomy, of a body part) Situated, produced, secreted in, or coming from inside an organ, tissue, muscle or member.
- adjective (programming, of a function or operator) Built-in.
- noun (computing, programming) A built-in function that is implemented directly by the compiler, without any intermediate call to a library. “SIMD intrinics”
- noun (video games) An ability possessed by a character and not requiring any external equipment. “You can acquire the fire-resistance intrinsic by eating dragon meat.”
Synonyms
essential inherent innate proper to connate connatural congenital congenite genetous inborn inbred indigenous ingenite native natural to the manner born unlearned unlearnt built-in immanent intrinsical
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle French intrinsèque, from Latin intrīnsecus (“on the inside, inwardly”), from *intrim, an assumed adverbial form of inter (“within”) + secus (“by, on the side”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Inward; internal; hence, true; genuine; real; essential; inherent; not merely apparent or accidental; --opposed to extrinsic; as, the intrinsic value of gold or silver; the intrinsic merit of an action; the intrinsic worth or goodness of a person.
- adjective Included wholly within an organ or limb, as certain groups of muscles; --opposed to extrinsic. Intrinsic energy of a body (Physics), the work it can do in virtue of its actual condition, without any supply of energy from without.
- noun A genuine quality. [Obs.] Warburton.
Etymology [L. intrinsecus inward, on the inside; intra within + secus otherwise, beside; akin to E. second: cf. F. intrinsèque. See Inter-, Second, and cf. Extrinsic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “intrinsic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details