Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Not penetrable; Incomprehensible; fathomless;...

Ancestry of “impenetrable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchimpenetrable—
2Latinimpenetrabilisimpenetrable; unconquerable, unyielding
3Latinpenetrabilispenetrable; piercing
4Latin-bilis-ble
5Proto-Italic-ðlis—
6Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis—
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...

Words derived from “impenetrable”

  • impenetrably
  • impenetrableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom →