inhospitable
UK[ˌɪnhɒˈspɪtəbl]US[ˌɪnhɑːˈspɪtəbl]
adj
(of an environment) harsh and difficult to live in.
adj
(of a person) unfriendly and unwelcoming towards visitors or strangers.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
hospitable
in
not
hospitable
welcoming
Etymology
the word 'inhospitable' is formed by adding the latin negative prefix 'in-' to the adjective 'hospitable'. its core lies in the latin noun hospes, which intriguingly meant both 'host' and 'guest/stranger', reflecting a reciprocal relationship of shelter and welcome. from hospes came hospitalis (pertaining to a guest) and eventually the english 'hospitable', meaning 'welcoming to guests'. therefore, 'inhospitable' literally means 'not welcoming to guests', a sense which extended metaphorically to describe barren, unwelcoming landscapes. the logic traces a journey from a specific social contract of hospitality to its negation, applicable to both people and places.
Analysis
Structure: in (not) + hospitable (welcoming)
in- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'not'); hospitable (from latin hospitabilis, meaning 'welcoming to guests', itself from hospes meaning 'host, guest, stranger').
Examples
the explorers struggled to survive in the inhospitable arctic wilderness.
the villagers were surprisingly inhospitable to the lost travelers.
the surface of the moon is completely inhospitable to human life.