Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impracticable” come from?

Impracticable comes from French impraticable, formed from the prefix im- (from Latin in-, meaning "not") combined with practicable.

impracticable (English): not practicable; impossible or difficult in...

Definitions

  1. not practicable; impossible or difficult in...

Ancestry of “impracticable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpracticableCapable of being accomplished; feasible; Serving...
2Frenchpraticablepracticable, feasible; practicable, usable
3Frenchpratiquerto do; to practise
4Frenchpratiqueapplied; concerning action or intervention of...
5Middle Frenchpractique—
6Latinprāctica—
7Ancient Greekπρακτικήpractice, experience
8Ancient GreekπρακτικόςOf, pertaining to, or appropriate for action; Fit...
9Ancient GreekπράσσωI do, practice
10Proto-Hellenicprā́ťťō—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥h₂-k-yé-ti—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “impracticable”

  • impracticably
  • impracticableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →