Meanings
- uncountableThe natural resistance of matter to any force acting on it.
I would have something that can dissipate the vis inertiæ and give elasticity to the muscles.
1791, James Boswell, Life of Johnson, Oxford, published 2008, page 8501 more example
A body, from the inactivity of matter, is not without difficulty put out of its state of rest or motion. Upon which account, this Vis insita may, by a most significant name, be called Vis inertiæ or Force of Inactivity.
1726, Isaac Newton, translated by Andrew Motte, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published 1729 - broadlyuncountableInactivity; apathy.
[H]er admonitions, tho' they were powerful enough to convince, would have been insufficient to overcome the languor and vis inertiæ of her brother, had she not reinforced her arguments, by calling in question the credit of two or three merchants, with whom he was embarked in trade.
1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC
Origin
From Latin.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
vis inertiae. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis%20inertiae
“vis inertiae.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis%20inertiae. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vis inertiae,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vis%20inertiae.
Source: vis inertiae on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.