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inerme

unarmed

adjective ee-NER-meh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Origin: From Latin inermis, from in- + arma (weapons).

Also means

defenceless

Usage Note

Inerme is a literary or formal adjective meaning without weapons or without means of defence. It does not change form between masculine and feminine (un soldato inerme / una persona inerme), but pluralises to inermi. In modern Italian it can also describe someone metaphorically helpless or unprotected, e.g. inerme di fronte al destino.

Examples

"Il prigioniero era completamente inerme."

Natural Translation

The prisoner was completely defenceless.

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