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Origin and history of in

in(adv., prep.)

a Middle English merger of Old English in (prep.) "in, into, upon, on, at, among; about, during;" and Old English inne (adv.) "within, inside," from Proto-Germanic *in (source also of Old Frisian, Dutch, German, Gothic in, Old Norse i), from PIE root *en "in." The simpler form took on both senses in Middle English.

Sense distinction between in and on is from later Middle English, and nuances in use of in and at still distinguish British and American English (in school/at school). Sometimes in Middle English shortened to i.

The noun sense of "influence, access (to power or authorities)," as in have an in with, is first recorded 1929 in American English. to be in for it "certain to meet with something unpleasant" is from 1690s. To be in with "on friendly terms with" is from 1670s. Ins and outs "intricacies, complications of an action or course" is from 1660s. In-and-out (n.) "copulation" is attested from 1610s.

in(adj.)

"that is within, internal," 1590s, from in (adv.). Sense of "holding power" (the in party) first recorded c. 1600; that of "exclusive" (the in-crowd, an in-joke) is from 1907 (in-group); that of "stylish, fashionable" (the in thing) is from 1960.

also from 1590s

Entries linking to in

in-joke(n.)

1964, from in (adj.) + joke (n.).

on(prep., adv.)

"in a position above and in contact with; in such a position as to be supported by;" also noting the goal to which some action is or has been directed; "about, concerning, regarding; in a position to cover;" as an adverb, "in or into a position in contact with and supported by the top or upper part of something; in or into place; in place for use or action; into movement or action; in operation," Old English on, unstressed variant of an "in, on, into," from Proto-Germanic *ana "on" (source also of Dutch aan, German an, Gothic ana "on, upon"), from PIE root *an- (1) "on" (source also of Avestan ana "on," Greek ana "on, upon," Latin an-, Old Church Slavonic na, Lithuanian nuo "down from").

Also used in Old English in many places where we now would use in. From 16c.-18c. (and still in northern England dialect) often reduced to o'. Phrase on to "aware" is from 1877.

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Trends of in

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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anoint
mid-14c., enointen, "pour oil upon, smear with ointment," from Old French enoint "smeared on," past participle of enoindre "smear on," from Latin inunguere "to anoint," from in- "in, into" (see in) + unguere "to smear" (see unguent (n.)). Forms in a- by late 14c. Originally in re
encyclopedia
1530s, "general course of instruction," from Modern Latin encyclopaedia (c. 1500), thought to be a false reading by Latin authors of Greek enkyklios paideia taken as "general education," but literally "training in a circle," i.e. the "circle" of arts and sciences, the essentials
inward
Old English inweard "inmost; sincere; internal, intrinsic; deep," from Proto-Germanic *inwarth "inward" (source also of Old Norse innanverðr, Old High German inwart, Middle Dutch inwaert), from root of Old English inne "in" (see in (adv.)) + -weard (see -ward). As an adverb, Old
specie
"coin, money in the form of coins, metallic money as a medium of exchange" (as opposed to paper money or bullion), 1670s,...a noun use from the Medieval Latin phrase in specie "in minted coins" (attested in English by 1610s)....This was a specialized sense in reference to money; the broader and classical meaning of in specie was "in kind; in the real..., precise, or actual form" (1550s in English)....
import
early 15c., "signify, show, bear or convey in meaning," from Latin importare "bring in, convey, bring in from abroad," from...assimilated form of in- "into, in" (from PIE root *en "in") + portare "to carry," from PIE root *per- (2) "to lead, pass...In English, the sense of "bring from another state or land," especially "bring in goods from abroad" is recorded by 1540s...
real
Especially in reference to the real de plata, which circulated in the U.S. till c. 1850 and in Mexico until 1897....The same word was used in Middle English in reference to various coins, from Old French real, a cognate of the Spanish word..., elevenpence or a levy in Pennsylvania, "and in many of the Southern States, a bit."...The half-real was in New York a sixpence, in New England a fourpence, in Pennsylvania a fip, in the South a picayune....
intrude
early 15c., in an ecclesiastical sense, "take possession of (a prebend) not rightfully one's own," a back-formation from...intrusion, or else from Latin intrudere "to thrust in, force in," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + trudere "to thrust...From 1560s in a physical sense of "thrust in" (transitive or intransitive); meaning "enter unbidden and without welcome"...is from 1570s; that of "thrust or bring in without necessity or right" is from 1580s....
gray
"of a color between white and black; having little or no color or luminosity," Old English græg "gray" (Mercian grei), from Proto-Germanic *grewa- "gray" (source also of Old Norse grar, Old Frisian gre, Middle Dutch gra, Dutch graw, Old High German grao, German grau), with no cer
Midwest
1926 in the U.S. geographical sense, from earlier Midwestern (1889) in reference to a group of states originally listed as West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas; it now generally refers to states somewhat north and west of these (according to the U.S.
inch
"linear measure, one-twelfth of a foot," late Old English ynce, Middle English unche (current spelling c. 1300), from Latin uncia "a twelfth part," from unus "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique"). An early Anglo-Saxon borrowing from Latin; not found in other Germanic langua

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