intrinsic

intrinsic
    adj 1: belonging to a thing by its very nature; "form was
           treated as something intrinsic, as the very essence of
           the thing"- John Dewey [syn: {intrinsic}, {intrinsical}]
           [ant: {extrinsic}]
    2: situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part
       on which it acts; "intrinsic muscles"
    

Intrinsic \In*trin"sic\ ([i^]n*tr[i^]n"s[i^]k), a. [L.
   intrinsecus inward, on the inside; intra within + secus
   otherwise, beside; akin to E. second: cf. F. intrins[`e]que.
   See {Inter-}, {Second}, and cf. {Extrinsic}.]
   [1913 Webster]
   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.
      [1913 Webster]

            He was better qualified than they to estimate justly
            the intrinsic value of Grecian philosophy and
            refinement.                           --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Anat.) Included wholly within an organ or limb, as
      certain groups of muscles; -- opposed to {extrinsic}.
      [1913 Webster]

   {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} (Geom.), 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.

   Syn: Inherent; innate; natural; real; genuine.
        [1913 Webster]
    

Intrinsic \In*trin"sic\, n.
   A genuine quality. [Obs.] --Warburton.
   [1913 Webster]
    

66 Moby Thesaurus words for "intrinsic":
      actual, appropriate, basic, central, characteristic, congenital,
      connate, constitutional, deep, deep-seated, distinctive,
      distinguished, elemental, esoteric, essential, fundamental,
      genuine, hereditary, idiocratic, idiosyncratic, immanent,
      implanted, implicit, in character, inalienable, inborn, inbred,
      indoor, indwelling, infixed, ingrained, inherent, inherited,
      inmost, innate, inner, innermost, inside, interior, internal,
      intestine, intimate, inward, inwrought, irreducible, marked,
      native, natural, organic, peculiar, private, proper,
      quintessential, real, resident, secret, single, singular,
      subjective, true, true to form, unalienable, unchallengeable,
      underlying, unique, unquestionable