Etymologically
Log in

incongruus

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word incongruus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 31 Valerius Maximus More words from the 1st century
Ultimate origin
Latin congruus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin incongruus
English incongruous

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪŋˈkɔŋ.ɡru.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [iŋˈkɔŋ.ɡru.us][1]

Forms

incongruus (feminine incongrua, neuter incongruum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin in-2 (“not”) + congruus (“fitting, suitable”).[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis and Short's first example is in Valerius Maximus, of an unsuitable compass.[3]

Semantic evolution

It is a post-Classical word for what is inconsistent or unsuitable,[3][4] used by Chalcidius, Symmachus, Julius Valerius and Vegetius;[3][5][4] the TLL notes that it is very often figurative and in litotes (“not unfitting”), sometimes strengthened as in Gregory the Great.[2] Medieval Latin used it for what is improper, unworthy or even harmful,[6][7] and British sources also for what is of the wrong size, absurd or discordant, and in grammar for a construction without concord.[8] English incongruous (1610s) is from the Latin word.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 31 AD – Valerius Maximus uses it.[3]
  • c. 300 AD – Chalcidius speaks of unsuitable proofs.[5][10]
  • c. 340–402 AD – Symmachus uses it in a letter.[3][5][10]
  • 540–604 AD – Gregory the Great strengthens it with “very” and “too”.[2][10]
  • 1288 – A Croatian charter calls an occupation of church land unlawful and unfitting.[11]
  • 1610s – English borrows it as incongruous.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Inconsistent, not agreeing.[3][7]
  2. Unsuitable, unfitting, improper.[3][7][12]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Unworthy; harmful.[6]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Of the wrong size; absurd.[8]
  5. (Medieval Latin, grammar) Lacking concord, ungrammatical.[8]

Word family

  • incongruē

Usage notes

The adverb is incongruē, found in Macrobius and Augustine.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  11. ^ Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
  12. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Incongruus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/incongruus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·