incommodus

Incommodus is a Latin adjective meaning not convenient or inconvenient. It is formed from the negating prefix in- and the word commodus, which means convenient, suitable, or advantageous. The principal forms are incommodus (masculine), incommoda (feminine), and incommodum (neuter), following standard Latin gender and number endings.

In classical texts, incommodus describes conditions, actions, or circumstances that hinder usefulness or ease, or that cause discomfort or disadvantage. It spans contexts from everyday discourse to more formal legal, medical, or philosophical writing, where something is deemed unfavorable or unsuitable. In translation, it is commonly rendered as inconvenient or disadvantageous.

Taxonomy and nomenclature: While not a common taxonomic epithet today, incommodus has occasionally appeared as a descriptive Latin epithet in species or specimen names to signal a perceived inconvenience or unusual trait about the organism or its discovery.

Related terms and cognates: Commodus is the positive counterpart meaning convenient or proper. In English, incommodous is rare or archaic, with inconvenient serving as the standard modern equivalent. The word shares its roots with commodus and with the English word commodious, the latter historically meaning convenient and, in some uses, spacious.

See also: Commodus; Incommodious; Convenience.

Example usage: Incommodus locus translates roughly as “an inconvenient place,” illustrating the word’s function as a descriptor of disadvantage or discomfort.