Where does “impermeable” come from?
Impermeable comes from French imperméable, composed of French in- (not) and Latin mēo (to go), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ne (not) and -dʰlom (course or passage).
impermeable (English): Impossible to permeate; Not allowing passage,...
Definitions
- Impossible to permeate; Not allowing passage,...
Ancestry of “impermeable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | permeable | that absorbs or allows the passage of fluids |
| 2 | Middle French | perméable | — |
| 3 | Latin | permeabilis | passable; permeable |
| 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;... |