The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Inactive \In*ac"tive\, a. [Pref. in- not + active: cf. F.
inactif.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Not active; having no power to move; that does not or can
not produce results; inert; as, matter is, of itself,
inactive.
[1913 Webster]
2. Not disposed to action or effort; not diligent or
industrious; not busy; idle; as, an inactive officer.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Chem. & Opt.) Not exhibiting any action or activity on
polarized light; optically inactive; optically neutral;
-- said of isomeric forms of certain substances, in
distinction from other forms which are optically active;
as, racemic acid is an inactive tartaric acid.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Chem. & Biochem.) Lacking biological or biochemical
activity; not causing a specific biological or biochemical
effect; -- said of substances such as enzymes which have
lost their catalytic power, or of small molecules which
are tested for some type of biological activity and found
to lack that activity; as, after boiling for ten minutes,
the enzyme was totally inactive; the methyl analog was
inactive as an antibiotic.
[PJC]
Syn: Inert; dull; sluggish; idle; indolent; slothful; lazy.
See Inert.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Optically \Op"tic*al*ly\, adv.
1. By optics or sight.
[1913 Webster]
2. With reference to optics.
[1913 Webster]
Optically active, Optically inactive (Chem. Physics),
terms used of certain isomeric substances which, while
identical with each other in other respects, differ in
this, viz., that they do or do not produce right-handed or
left-handed circular polarization of light. See optical
activity.
Optically positive, Optically negative. See under
Refraction.
[1913 Webster]