Emily Dickinson Lexicon

inertia, n. [L. iners, want of art or skill; this headword appears on a scrap of paper attached to the ED poem, not in the poem itself.]

Rest; inactivity; passiveness; slowness; sluggishness; lack of movement; [fig.] undeviating course; steady motion in a straight line.

infamy, n. [Fr. < L.] (webplay: conviction).

1. Ignominy; opprobrium; notoriety; public disgrace.
2. Shame; dishonor.
3. Anonymity; namelessness; [fig.] ravage; decline; degeneration; retrogression.

infant, adj. [OFr enfant < L.] (webplay: years).

Childlike; youthful; like a baby; [fig.] soft; tender; innocent; trustworthy; guileless.

infect (-s), v. [Fr. < L. inficere, dip in, stain, taint, spoil.] (webplay: taint).

Infuse; instill; impress; influence; imbue.

infection, n. [Fr. < L. infectiōnem, contagion.]

Contamination; corruption; pollution; [fig.] ailment; sickness; malady.

infer (inferred, -s), v. [Fr. < L. inferre bear, bring, or carry in, inflict, cause, occasion, introduce.] (webplay: bear, conclusion, creator, God, obligation, premises, true).

1. Deduct; derive by reason; conclude by logical analogy.
2. Perceive; sense by intuition.
3. Ascertain; discover; conclude; understand.
4. Suggest; imply; evoke; [fig.] achieve.

inference, n. [L. inferentia, implying.] (webplay: mind).

1. Conclusion; reasoning; understanding; guess; implication.
2. Suggestion; proposition; hint; trace.

inferior, adj. [L. inferiōr, lower.] (webplay: life, low, superior).

1. Lowly; submissive; subordinate; deferential; [fig.] mortal; human; pertaining to the earth.
2. Less significant; relatively ineffective; not as well suited.
3. Low-lying; less in elevation; situated closer to earth.
4. Subordinate; subservient; obsequious; lower ranking.

infest (-s), v. [Fr. or L. infestare, assail, molest.]

Cover; permeate; fill; sink into.

infesting, verbal adj. [see infest, v.]

Disturbing; troublesome; bothersome; distressing; [fig.] penetrating; discerning; scrutinizing.