Where does “impenetrable” come from?
Impenetrable derives from Middle French impenetrable, from Latin impenetrabilis, combining the Latin negation in- with a root meaning "to pierce or pass through" from Proto-Indo-European pen-et-s.
impenetrable (English): Not penetrable; Incomprehensible; fathomless;...
Definitions
- Not penetrable; Incomprehensible; fathomless;...
Ancestry of “impenetrable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | impenetrable | — |
| 2 | Latin | impenetrabilis | impenetrable; unconquerable, unyielding |
| 3 | Latin | penetrabilis | penetrable; piercing |
| 4 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |