Word of the Day

: September 29, 2007

infrangible

adjective in-FRAN-juh-bul

What It Means

1 : not capable of being broken or separated into parts

2 : not to be infringed or violated

infrangible in Context

Page explained that family is sacred to her because she believes that few things in life are more infrangible than the bonds of kinship.

Did You Know?

"Infrangible" comes to us via Middle French from the Late Latin "infrangibilis" and is ultimately derived from the prefix "in-" and the Latin verb "frangere," meaning "to break." (Believe it or not, our "break" is ultimately derived from the same ancient word that gave rise to "frangere.") "Infrangible" first appeared in print in English in the 16th century with the literal meaning "impossible to break"; it was later extended metaphorically to things that cannot or should not be broken.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.