Etymology

incel

I1N1C3E1L1

Today it means: "Involuntary celibacy": the state of being not sexually active despite wishing to be. Full definition →

First used 20th c.English celibatesyl. abbr. ← Latin caeleb ← Middle English voluntarie
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Middle Englishin-
  6. Englishin-
  7. Middle Englishvoluntarie
  8. Englishvoluntary
  9. Englishinvoluntarysyl. abbr.
  10. Latincaeleb
  11. Englishcelibatesyl. abbr.
  12. English todayincel

Syllabic abbreviation of involuntary celibate. Coined by "Alana" in 1997 on an online forum (originally as invcel). Came to widespread usage in the mid-2010s, chiefly online, but now more widespread.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. "Involuntary celibacy": the state of being not sexually active despite wishing to be.
  • from 21st c. Someone (especially a man) who desires a sexual relationship but considers themselves unable to attract a partner; (often specifically), a member of an online subculture of people who identify in this way, often adopting resentful or misogynistic attitudes towards women as a result.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.