inadequate
Meaning
not good enough, or too low in quality
not confident enough to deal with a situation
Structure
Usage
The safety precautions were deemed wholly inadequate.
His income is inadequate to meet his basic needs.
She felt inadequate in her new role.
Etymology
The word 'inadequate' is a direct negation formed in English by applying the Latin negative prefix 'in-' to the adjective 'adequate'. 'Adequate' itself stems from the Latin past participle adaequatus, meaning "made equal to", derived from the verb adaequare (ad- "to" + aequare "to make equal"). The core concept of equality or sufficiency is rooted in the Latin aequus, meaning "level" or "fair". Thus, the literal progression is from the concrete idea of "making level" to the abstract notion of "sufficiency," which is then logically negated to form 'inadequate,' meaning "not sufficient" or "not equal to the requirement."
Analysis
- in: Latin origin. A prefix meaning "not" or "without". - adequate: From Latin adaequatus ("made equal to"). In this compound, it functions as the root adjective meaning "sufficient" or "equal to what is required".