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in·so·lent

(ĭnsə-lənt)

adj.

1. Audaciously rude or disrespectful; impertinent or impudent.

2. Archaic Presumptuous and insulting in manner or speech; arrogant.

[Middle English, from Latin īnsolēns, īnsolent-, immoderate, arrogant : in-, not; see IN-¹ + solēns, present participle of solēre, to be accustomed.]

inso·lence (-ləns) n.

inso·lent·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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