entry
iniquity
/ɪˈnɪkwəti/Gross injustice, wickedness, or morally wrong conduct
From Latin iniquus (Unequal) + Latin itas (A suffix expressing a state) + Latin in (Not).
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”)
from Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French iniquité , iniquiteit "wickedness; unfavorable situation" (12c.)
+1 more sourcePicture a Roman judge laying two objects on a balance: when they sit level, they are aequus—equal and fair. Add in-, meaning “not,” and the balance tips into inīquus: unequal, unfair, even slanting or hostile. Latin then attached -itās, a suffix that turns a quality into a thing, producing inīquitās—literally, the condition of being unequal or unjust. Around 1300, Old French carried it across the Channel as iniquité, and Middle English widened it from hostile acts and misfortune to wickedness itself. By the 1610s, “Iniquity” had even become a comic villain representing Vice in English morality plays. Remember the tilted balance: iniquity is, at heart, what happens when “equal” gets knocked askew.
The Story
Picture a Roman judge laying two objects on a balance: when they sit level, they are aequus—equal and fair. Add in-, meaning “not,” and the balance tips into inīquus: unequal, unfair, even slanting or hostile. Latin then attached -itās, a suffix that turns a quality into a thing, producing inīquitās—literally, the condition of being unequal or unjust. Around 1300, Old French carried it across the Channel as iniquité, and Middle English widened it from hostile acts and misfortune to wickedness itself. By the 1610s, “Iniquity” had even become a comic villain representing Vice in English morality plays. Remember the tilted balance: iniquity is, at heart, what happens when “equal” gets knocked askew.
Kin & Kindred
From 'iniquus'·Unequal, unfair, hostile, or wicked
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'itas'·A suffix expressing a state, quality, or condition
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'in'·Not, forming a negative or opposite sense
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'aequus'·Equal, even, fair, or impartial
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary