Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “inimitable” come from?

Inimitable comes from Middle French inimitable, derived from Latin inimitabilis, meaning unable to be imitated.

inimitable (English): Beyond imitation, surpassing all others,...

Definitions

  1. Beyond imitation, surpassing all others,...

Ancestry of “inimitable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-abilityability, inclination or suitability for a...
2Middle English-ablete—
3Middle French-ableté—
4Latin-abilitas—
5Latin-ibilis-able; able or worthy to be
6Latin-bilis-ble
7Proto-Italic-ðlis—
8Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis—
9Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...

Words derived from “inimitable”

  • inimitably
  • inimitableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom →