Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ĭners, ertis (abl. inerti, Plin. 16, 43, 83, § 227:

  1. I. inerte, Ov. P. 1, 5, 8; 1, 10, 14), adj. [2. in-ars], unskilled in any art or trade, without skill, unskilful (class.): ut perhibetur iners, ars in quo non erit ulla, Lucil. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 158: artes, quibus qui carebant, inertes a majoribus nominabantur, Cic. Fin. 2, 34, 115: versus, artless ( = sine arte et gravitate facti), Hor. A. P. 445.
    In partic., = iners dicendi, arte dicendi carens: homo non inertissimus, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 21, 67.
  2. II. In gen., inactive, idle, indolent, sluggish, inert.
    1. A. Of living beings: linguā factiosi, inertes operā, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 6, 13: silvicolae homines bellique inertes, Naev. ap. Macr. S. 6, 5, § 9: gerro, iners, etc., Ter. Heaut. 5, 4, 10: vicissent inprobos boni fortes inertes, Cic. Sest. 19, 43: senectus, id. de Sen. 11, 36: homo inertior, ignavior proferri non potest, id. Verr. 2, 2, 78, § 192: pecus, Verg. A. 4, 158; cf.: fera membris, Plin. 8, 21, 32, § 77.
    2. B. Of inanim. and abstr. things: inertissimum et desidiosissimum otium, Cic. Agr. 2, 33: inertissima segnitia, id. Fin. 1, 2, 5: ignavum et iners genus interrogationis, empty, idle, id. Fat. 13, 29: aquae, stagnant waters, Ov. H. 18, 121: stomachus, i. e. without digestion, id. P. 1, 10, 14: glaebae, that bear nothing, without cultivation, Verg. G. 1, 94: terra, motionless, immovable, Hor. C. 3, 4, 45: horae, leisure hours, id. S. 2, 6, 61: tempus, Ov. P. 1, 15, 44: Brutus castigator lacrimarum atque inertium querellarum, Liv. 1, 59, 4.
      Of food, without flavor, insipid: caro, Hor. S. 2, 4, 41: blitum iners videtur, ac sine sapore, aut acrimonia ulla, Plin. 20, 22, 93, § 252: sal, id. 31, 7, 39, § 82: vita, inactive, quiet, Tib. 1, 1, 5.
      Poet., causative, rendering idle or inactive: frigus, Ov. M. 8, 790: somni, id. Am. 2, 10, 19.
      Hence, adv.: ĭnerter, and sup. inertissime, Charis. 165 P.