Word of the Day

: December 24, 2010

invincible

adjective in-VIN-suh-bul

What It Means

: incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued

invincible in Context

Susan loved stories of invincible superheroes and determined sidekicks.

"When the title was on the line in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Johnson and his team looked more invincible than vulnerable." -- From an article by Rick Minter in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 23, 2010

Did You Know?

The origins of "invincible" are easily subdued. The word derives, via Middle French, from Late Latin "invincibilis," which was itself formed by combining the negative prefix "in-" with "vincere," meaning "to conquer." Other descendants of "vincere" in English include "convince," "evince," "vanquish," and even "victor." "Vincere" also gave English "vincible," meaning (unsurprisingly) "capable of being overcome or subdued," though it is significantly less common than "invincible."