impregnable
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impregnable¹
- /ɪmˈpɹɛɡ.nəˌb(ə)l/ US, UK
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English imprenable, impregnable (“impossible to capture, impregnable”), from Old French imprenable (modern French imprenable (“impregnable”)), from im- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + prenable (“(military) of a building, position, etc.: takable”) (from prendre (“to take”) + -able (suffix meaning ‘creating an effect or influence’)). Prendre is derived from Latin prēndere, present active infinitive of prēndō, a variant of prehendō (“to catch, lay hold of; to grasp; to grab, snatch; to seize, take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to find; to hold; to seize, take”). The intrusive g in the English word was modelled after words like deign and reign.
adjective more impregnable · most impregnable
-
Of a fortress or other fortified place: able to withstand all attacks; impenetrable, inconquerable, unvanquishable.
Unerringly impelling this dead, impregnable, uninjurable wall, and this most buoyant thing within; there swims behind it all a mass of tremendous life, only to be adequately estimated as piled wood is—by the cord; and all obedient to one volition, as the smallest insect.
Similar: breachless, inexpugnable, unassailable · Opposite: pregnable, unimpregnable
-
Too strong to be defeated or overcome; invincible.
[A]s for the Friendſhip of the World; […] he may at laſt be no more able to get into the other's Heart, than he is to thruſt his Hand into a Pillar of Braſs. The Man's Affection, amidſt all theſe Kindneſſes done him, remaining wholly unconcerned, and impregnable; juſt like a Rock, which being plied
Similar: inconquerable, unconquerable, undefeatable · Opposite: conquerable, defeatable, pregnable, vincible
impregnable²
- /ɪmˈpɹɛɡ.nəˌb(ə)l/ US, UK
Where it comes from
PIE word
*h₁én
From impregnate (verb) + -able (suffix meaning ‘able or fit to be done’ forming adjectives). Impregnate is either derived from impregnate (“pregnant”, adjective), or from its etymon Medieval Latin or Late Latin impraegnātus (“made pregnant”), past participle of impraegnō (“to make pregnant”), from Latin im- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’)) + praegnāre (“pregnant”) (from praegnāns, a variant of praegnās (“pregnant”), from prae- (prefix meaning ‘before; in front’) + *gnāscor (archaic), nāscor (“to be born; to grow, spring forth; to arise, proceed”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”)).
adjective more impregnable · most impregnable
-
Capable of being impregnated; impregnatable.
The reproductive strategies of troop members, especially those of impregnable females, are suggested to influence patterns of range use.
Opposite: unimpregnable
Translations
Every language
adj of a fortress or other fortified place: able to withstand all attacks — see also impenetrable, inconquerable, unvanquishable
| 한국어 | 난공불락 nan'gongbullak |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 鉄壁 teppeki, 難攻不落 nankōfuraku |
| 中文 | 固若金湯 /固若金汤 gùruòjīntāng, 堅不可摧 /坚不可摧 jiānbùkěcuī, 險固 /险固 xiǎngù |
| हिन्दी | अभेद्य abhedya |
| Français | imprenable |
| Deutsch | sturmfrei, unangreifbar, unbezwingbar, uneinnehmbar |
| Italiano | impenetrabile, inespugnabile, inattaccabile |
| Ελληνικά | άπαρτος ápartos, απόρθητος apórthitos |
| Română | impregnabil |
| Русский | непристу́пный nepristúpnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | hiểm |
adj too strong to be defeated or overcome — see also invincible
| Español | inexpugnable |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 難攻不落の nankoufuraku no |
| Français | imprenable |
| Deutsch | unangreifbar, unbezwingbar, uneinnehmbar |
| Italiano | imprendibile, inespugnabile, invulnerabile, inattaccabile |
| Ελληνικά | ακυρίευτος akyríeftos, απόρθητος apórthitos |
| Română | impregnabil, inexpugnabil, impenetrabil |
| Русский | недосту́пный nedostúpnyj, непристу́пный nepristúpnyj, неуязви́мый neujazvímyj |
adj capable of being impregnated
| Español | impregnable, fértil |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 受精可能な juseikanou na, 受胎可能な jutaikanou na |
| Français | imprégnable |
Talk about this word "impregnable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/impregnable. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. impregnable. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/impregnable "impregnable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/impregnable.Cite this
@misc{impregnable_2026,
title = {impregnable},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/impregnable},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
