Intrinsic
Intrinsic (in*trin"sik) , adjective
[Latin intrinsecus inward, on the inside; intra within + secus otherwise, beside; akin to English second: compare French intrinsèque. See Inter-, Second, and compare Extrinsic.]
1.
Inward; internal; hence, true; genuine; real; essential; inherent; not merely apparent or accidental; -- opposed to extrinsic; as, the intrinsic value of gold or silver; the intrinsic merit of an action; the intrinsic worth or goodness of a person.
He was better qualified than they to estimate justly the intrinsic value of Grecian philosophy and refinement.
2.
(Anatomy) Included wholly within an organ or limb, as certain groups of muscles; -- opposed to extrinsic.
Collocations (3)
Intrinsic energy of a body (Physics) , the work it can do in virtue of its actual condition, without any supply of energy from without.
Intrinsic equation of a curve (Geometry) , the equation which expresses the relation which the length of a curve, measured from a given point of it, to a movable point, has to the angle which the tangent to the curve at the movable point makes with a fixed line.
Intrinsic value , See the Note under Value, n.
Intrinsic , noun
A genuine quality. [Obsolete] — Warburton