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

  1. Not defensible; not capable of being defended;...

Ancestry of “indefensible”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishin-in, into, towards, within; in, into; Used with...
2Middle Englishin-—
3Old Englishin-in, into; on, upon; internal, positioned on the...
4Old Englishinin; Alternative form of inn
5Proto-West Germanic*in—
6Proto-Germanicinin; into
7Proto-Indo-Europeanénin

Words derived from “indefensible”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European én →Every word from Proto-Germanic in →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *in →