Where does “indefensible” come from?
Indefensible derives from Middle English in- (not) combined with defensible, tracing through Latin in- and in (not, into) to Proto-Indo-European ne and en (not).
indefensible (English): Not defensible; not capable of being defended;...
Definitions
- Not defensible; not capable of being defended;...
Ancestry of “indefensible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | in- | in, into, towards, within; in, into; Used with... |
| 2 | Middle English | in- | — |
| 3 | Old English | in- | in, into; on, upon; internal, positioned on the... |
| 4 | Old English | in | in; Alternative form of inn |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *in | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |
Words derived from “indefensible”