Word of the Day

: July 29, 2015

indomitable

adjective in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul

What It Means

: incapable of being subdued : unconquerable

indomitable in Context

The memorial celebrates the indomitable spirit of the pioneers who ventured forth in search of a new life.

"The stones, removed as part of structural improvements to the bridge, speak to the indomitable nature of 19th-century workers, often immigrants, who somehow-with horses and pulleys- managed to move around that staggering weight." - Sean Kirst, Syracuse.com (New York), June 16, 2015

Did You Know?

The prefix in- means "not" in numerous English words (think of indecent, indecisive, inconvenient, and infallible). When in- teamed up with the Latin domitare ("to tame"), the result was a word meaning "unable to be tamed." Indomitable was first used in English in the 1600s as a synonym of wild, but over time its sense of untamability turned from a problem to a virtue. By the 1800s, indomitable was being used for people whose courage and persistence helped them to succeed in difficult situations.