inertia: Meaning and Definition of

in•er•tia

Pronunciation: (in-ûr'shu, i-nûr'-), [key]
— n.
  1. inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.
  2. electric inertia.
    1. the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.
    2. an analogous property of a force:electric inertia.
  3. lack of activity, esp. as applied to a uterus during childbirth when its contractions have decreased or stopped.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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