English
inexpugnable
Inexpugnable comes from Latin inexpugnābilis ‘impregnable, inexpugnable’, from expugnābilis ‘able to be taken by storm, expugnable’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘to punch, fist-fight’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnos‘fist’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnus‘a fist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnō‘fight’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpūgnō‘to take by storm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpugnābilis‘able to be taken by storm, expugnable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinexpugnābilis‘impregnable, inexpugnable’
- Englishearliest quotation 1840inexpugnable
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewǵ-‘to punch, fist-fight’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*puǵnosreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pugnos‘fist’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnus‘a fist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpugnō‘fight’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpūgnō‘to take by storm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexpugnābilis‘able to be taken by storm, expugnable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinexpugnābilis‘impregnable, inexpugnable’
- Englishearliest quotation 1840inexpugnable
Earliest quotation: 1840, Thomas Carlyle: “My one hope of the world, my inexpugnable consolation…”
Formed from in + expugn + able
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’
Proto-Germanic *in
Proto-West Germanic *in
Old English in
Middle English in ‘inside’
English in
Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘prick, punch’
…
Latin pugnō ‘fight’
Latin expugnō ‘to take by storm’
Old French expugner
Middle English expugnen
English expugn
Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’
…
Latin habeō ‘to have’
Latin habilis ‘easily managed, held, or handled’
Old Northern French able ‘able’
Middle English able ‘capable’
English able
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- ‘to punch, fist-fight’
fuck, point, punch, fist, pivot, puncture, poignant, pungent, pygmy, punto, punctuate, compunction, pugilist, 40 more
through Latin pugnō ‘fight’
Today it means
adj Impossible to eliminate or destroy; impregnable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- / inexpugnable