Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “irreplaceable” come from?

Irreplaceable derives from English replaceable, which combines English replace and English place, ultimately from Latin in and Latin re- meaning "back" or "again," and Ancient Greek πλατύς.

irreplaceable (English): That cannot be replaced, especially because it is...

Definitions

  1. That cannot be replaced, especially because it is...

Ancestry of “irreplaceable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishreplaceableCapable of being replaced; Anything that can be...
2EnglishreplaceTo restore to a former place, position,...
3Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
4Middle Englishre-—
5Old Frenchre-re-
6Latinrĕ-—
7Latinprōdūcō—
8Latinprō-—
9Proto-Italic*pro-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
12Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “irreplaceable”

  • irreplaceability
  • irreplaceably
  • irreplaceableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →