inured
UK[ɪˈnjʊəd]US[ɪˈnʊrd]
adj
accustomed to accepting something undesirable, especially because it has happened repeatedly over a long period.
verb (past tense and past participle of inure)
to make someone accept something unpleasant by repeated exposure.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
ure
d
in
in, into, on, upon
ure
d
Etymology
the word 'inured' originates from the anglo-norman term 'enurer' and the middle english 'inuren', which meant 'to put into practice or use'. this, in turn, derived from the old french phrase 'en euvre', meaning 'in work', from the latin 'in opera'. the core concept is of bringing something into operation or customary use. over time, the meaning specialized from the general sense of 'accustoming' to specifically refer to the process of becoming accustomed to something difficult or unpleasant, reflecting a hardening through repeated experience. the modern participial adjective 'inured' thus describes a state of psychological or emotional habituation to hardship.
Analysis
Structure: in + ure + d
- in: a prefix of latin origin meaning 'in, into, on, upon'.
- ure: a suffix of latin origin (via old french) forming nouns of action or result, or forming verbs.
- d: a suffix representing the past tense and past participle inflection in english.
Examples
the soldiers became inured to the hardships of war.
she had grown inured to the constant noise of the city.
his years of manual labor had inured him to physical discomfort.