internecine

[ in-ter-nee-seen, -sahyn, -nes-een, -nes-ahyn ]

/ ˌɪn tərˈni sin, -saɪn, -ˈnɛs in, -ˈnɛs aɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR internecine ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to conflict or struggle within a group: an internecine feud among proxy holders.

mutually destructive.

characterized by great slaughter; deadly.

Nearby words

Also in·ter·ne·cive

[in-ter-nee-siv, -nes-iv] /ˌɪn tɛrˈni sɪv, -ˈnɛs ɪv/.

Origin of internecine

1655–65; < Latin internecīnus, internecīvus murderous, equivalent to internec(āre) to kill out, exterminate (inter- inter- + necāre to kill) + -īnus -ine¹, -īvus -ive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for internecine

And much of the reported violence is internecine warfare between Christians and Muslims, with atrocities on all sides.
State Department Highlights Actual Oppression Against Christians|Jay Michaelson|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
ISIS has been at the root of the internecine warfare between Syrian rebel groups.
Al-Qaeda Denounces Syrian Jihadist Group ISIS|Jamie Dettmer|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democrats are unlikely to face the internecine battles the Republican Party has endured over the last five years.
It’s DINO Hunting Season as the Democrats Gird for Their Own Civil War|David Freedlander|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She is even-handed in detailing the internecine battles between Insurgents and Regulars for control of the party.
Wait for the Movie Version of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “The Bully Pulpit”|David Nasaw|November 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

They blamed the Americans for the internecine struggle that broke out among competing Afghan political parties afterward.
9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Finally on Trial at Guantanamo|Terry McDermott|May 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There was an internecine battle of "corps," which was chiefly developed in brisk affairs of outposts.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell
During the past year the Republic of Nicaragua has been the scene of internecine struggle.
State of the Union Addresses of William H. Taft|William H. Taft
It was very clear that internecine strife had caused the migrations of the tribes.
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The quest, rescue and retreat of Emin, governor of Equatoria|Henry Morton Stanley
I should like to know who profits by their internecine war; I think no one but the native buyers of their goods.
West African studies|Mary Henrietta Kingsley
They were restrained from internecine conflict, which was all to their own good.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells

British Dictionary definitions for internecine

internecine

/ (ˌɪntəˈniːsaɪn) /

adjective

mutually destructive or ruinous; maiming both or all sidesinternecine war

of or relating to slaughter or carnage; bloody

of or involving conflict within a group or organization

Word Origin for internecine

C17: from Latin internecīnus, from internecāre to destroy, from necāre to kill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for internecine

internecine

adj.

1660s, "deadly, destructive," from Latin internecinus "very deadly, murderous, destructive," from internecare "kill or destroy," from inter (see inter-) + necare "kill" (see noxious). Considered in the OED as misinterpreted in Johnson's Dictionary [1755], which defined it as "endeavouring mutual destruction," on association of inter- with "mutual" when the prefix supposedly is used in this case as an intensive. From Johnson, wrongly or not, has come the main modern definition of "mutually destructive."

internecine

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of internecine

Examples from the Web for internecine

internecine

adjective

Word Origin for internecine

internecine