Where does “inalterable” come from?
inalterable (English) comes from English alterable, from English alter, from Old French alterer, from Medieval Latin alterare, from Latin alter, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élteros, from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- — to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam.
inalterable (English): That cannot be altered
Definitions
- That cannot be altered
Ancestry of “inalterable”, step by step
inalterable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English alterable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alterable | Capable of being changed, changeable, mutable;... |
| 2 | English | alter | To change the form or structure of; To become... |
| 3 | Old French | alterer | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | alterare | to make other; present active infinitive of... |
| 5 | Latin | alter | the other, the second; the one...the other |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élteros | other , second |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂el- | to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam |