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Added 9 October 2026

internecine

/ˌɪntəˈniːsaɪn/ adjective

Latin root: internecīnus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about internecine at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(of conflict) within a group or organization.
an internecine feud among proxy holders
Characterized by bloodshed and carnage for both sides.
internecine war

Origin

Borrowed from Latin internecīnus (“deadly”), from internecium (“a massacre, bloodbath; an eradication”) + -īnus. In Latin, the sememe 'between' was here not expressed by the prefix, it instead either had a somewhat emphatic meaning or meant "down, under", comparable to its use in other Latin terms related to death: see interficiō and intereō. The English current sense is thus a reanalysis of the Latin through English inter-.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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