Word of the Day - 04/17/26
innocuous
/ɪ'nɑkjuəs/(adj.): not harmful or offensive
'Fortunately, the chemical spill was innocuous and posed no health risk,' declared the politician.
Word Origin
The word 'innocuous' originates from Latin. It is formed from the prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' and 'nocuus' meaning 'harmful' or 'injurious'. 'Nocuus' itself derives from the Latin verb 'nocere', which means 'to harm'. Thus, 'innocuous' literally means 'not harmful'.
Words with similar origins include 'innocent' (from Latin 'innocens', literally 'not harming', also from 'in-' + 'nocere'), 'noxious' (from Latin 'noxius', 'harmful', related to 'nocere'), and 'obnoxious' (from Latin 'obnoxius', originally meaning 'exposed to harm', later 'liable', 'offensive', also related to 'nocere').