in ‧ ert /ɪˈnɜːt $ -ɜːrt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: iners 'unskilled, doing nothing' , from ars 'skill, art' ]
1 . technical not producing a chemical reaction when combined with other substances:
inert gases
2 . literary not moving, or not having the strength or power to move:
He lay, inert, in his bed.
3 . not willing to do anything:
The government was inert and inefficient.
—inertness noun [uncountable]