adj. & n.
--adj. (usu. attrib.)
1. further in; inside; interior (the inner compartment).
2 (of thoughts, feelings, etc.) deeper; more secret.
--n. Archery 1 a division of the target next to the bull's-eye.
2 a shot that strikes this.
Phrases and idioms:
inner bar Brit. Law Queen's or King's Counsel collectively. inner city the central most densely populated area of a city (also (with hyphen) attrib.: inner-city housing). inner-directed Psychol. governed by standards formed in childhood. inner man (or woman)
1. the soul or mind.
2 joc. the stomach. inner planet an inferior planet (see INFERIOR adj. 3).
inner space
1. the region between the earth and outer space, or below the surface of the sea.
2 the part of the mind not normally accessible to consciousness. inner-spring US interior-sprung. Inner Temple one of the two Inns of Court on the site of the Temple in London (cf. Middle Temple). inner tube a separate inflatable tube inside the cover of a pneumatic tyre.
Derivatives:
innerly adv. innermost adj. innerness n.
Etymology: OE innera (adj.), compar. of IN