ingesleten

Ing esleten. The word ingesleten is a Dutch adjective derived from the verb inslijten, meaning to engrave or to embed by repeated action. In everyday use it describes something that has become worn, grooved, or smooth through long, repeated use, but it can also refer to concepts or behaviors that have become deeply established or habitual.

In a literal sense, ingesleten often describes physical marks or paths formed by frequent traffic. For example, a road or sidewalk may have ingesleten grooves where wheels or shoes repeatedly pass. Such wear patterns are usually persistent and difficult to erase without deliberate intervention. In a broader sense, ingesleten can apply to objects that show long-term wear, like ingesleten soles on shoes or an ingesleten groove in a tool handle.

Metaphorically, ingesleten is used to characterize habits, customs, or ways of thinking that have become ingrained. A society may have ingesleten norms, or a person may have an ingesleten routine, implying stability and resistance to change. The term carries connotations of endurance and continuity, but can also suggest rigidity if the ingrained patterns hinder adaptation.

Etymology traces ingesleten to inslijten (to engrave/embed) with the prefix in- and the verb slijten (to wear down). The past participle ingesleten functions as an adjective in contemporary Dutch.

See also: slijten, inslijten, slijtage.