# internal

Pronunciation: say "in-TUR-nuhl" US /ɪnˈtɝ.nəl/, UK /ɪnˈtɜː.nəl/

## Adjective

1. Located on or relating to the inside of something.
   - Simple: On the inside of something, not on the outside.
   - _The mechanic found corrosion on several of the engine's internal components._
   - _The building's internal staircase was rebuilt after the fire._
2. Concerned with the private, non-public affairs or operations of a company or other organization.
   - Simple: About the private business of a company, not shared with people outside it.
   - _An internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by the executives._
   - _The email was marked internal and was never meant to reach customers._
3. Having to do with matters within a nation, state, or other political community rather than its dealings with others.
   - Simple: About what happens inside a country, not its dealings with other countries.
   - _The ambassador refused to comment on the internal politics of her host country._
   - _Internal disputes over taxation weakened the young republic long before any foreign threat did._
4. Situated, occurring or arising inside the body or another living organism rather than on its surface or outside it.
   - Simple: Inside your body, or inside an animal or plant, not on the outside.
   - _Internal injuries are not always visible after an accident._
   - _The scan revealed internal swelling around the patient's kidney._
5. Taking place or experienced within one's own mind; inner rather than outwardly expressed.
   - Simple: Felt or happening inside your mind, not shown to other people.
   - _The novel traces the narrator's internal monologue over a single afternoon._
   - _He kept his internal doubts hidden throughout the negotiations._
6. Relating to the inner or essential nature of a thing; intrinsic.
   - Simple: About the true nature of something itself, not things outside it.
   - _The theory collapsed under the weight of its own internal contradictions._
   - _Reviewers praised the film's internal consistency despite its complicated timeline._
7. Intended to be swallowed and taken into the body through the digestive tract, rather than applied to the skin or surface of the body.
   - Simple: Meant to be swallowed and work inside the body, like a medicine you drink.
   - _The label warns that the tincture is not safe for internal use._
   - _Pharmacists once prepared both internal and topical versions of the same remedy._
8. Attending a university as an enrolled student there, rather than merely sitting its examinations as an outside candidate. *(British)*
   - Simple: Studying at a university in person, not just taking its exams from outside.
   - _As an internal candidate at the University of London, he attended lectures as well as taking the examinations._
   - _Internal students follow the taught course, while external students prepare for the same exams on their own._

## Origin

Latin internus ("inward, internal") plus the adjective-forming suffix -ālis gave Medieval Latin internālis, meaning "of or pertaining to the inner part," which Middle English borrowed as internall.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/internal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).