Word of the Day

: January 26, 2009

implacable

adjective im-PLAK-uh-bul

What It Means

: not placable : not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated

implacable in Context

The convict made his plea for an early release to the implacable members of the parole board, who remained skeptical that he felt remorse for his crimes.

Did You Know?

"Implacable" comes from the Latin word "implacabilis," with which it shares the meaning "not easily placated." Ultimately, it comes from the verb "placare," meaning "to calm" or "to soothe." "Implacable" adds the negative "im-" to the root to describe something that cannot be calmed or soothed or altered. The root "placare" also gave us "placate." You may ask, what about similar-looking words "placid" and "placebo"? These words are related to "implacable" and "placate," but not as closely as you might suspect. They come from the Latin verb "placēre," a relative of "placare" that means "to please."