Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. That cannot be altered

Ancestry of “inalterable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishalterableCapable of being changed, changeable, mutable;...
2EnglishalterTo change the form or structure of; To become...
3Old Frenchalterer—
4Medieval Latinalterareto make other; present active infinitive of...
5Latinalterthe other, the second; the one...the other
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂élterosother , second
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂el-to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam

Words derived from “inalterable”

  • inalterably
  • inalterability
  • inalterableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- →