time immemorial

noun

1

: time so long past as to be indefinite in history or tradition

called also time out of mind

2

: a time antedating a period legally fixed as the basis for a custom or right

Examples of time immemorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Colorado recently enacted legislation granting free access to state parks for members of two of our sister signatory Tribes, while excluding the Ute Indian Tribe — descendants of bands that occupied what is today the state of Colorado from time immemorial. —Shaun Chapoose, Denver Post, 20 May 2026

That means, as some critics of the ban have pointed out, that 18-year-olds will almost certainly bum cigarettes from older friends—the same way younger teens have acquired them since time immemorial. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026

Since time immemorial, humans gazing up at the moon have asked grand questions. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026

Being Jewish, from time immemorial, could kill you. —Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for time immemorial

• ambassadorial
• combinatorial
• conspiratorial
• extracorporeal
• gladiatorial
• gubernatorial
• inquisitorial
• mediatorial
• multifactorial
• prosecutorial
• supratentorial
• arboreal

Legal Definition

time immemorial

noun

time im·​me·​mo·​ri·​al

-ˌi-mə-ˈmȯr-ē-əl

1

: a time beyond legal memory formerly fixed by English law as the beginning of the reign of Richard I in 1189 but modified in common law

2

: a time going back beyond the memory of any living person