entry
impervious
/ɪmˈpɜːrviəs/Unable to be penetrated or affected
From Latin in- (not) + Latin pervius (passable).
from Latin impervius "not to be traverse, that cannot be passed through, impassible,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin impervius "not to be traverse, that cannot be passed through, impassible,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin impervius "not to be traverse, that cannot be passed through, impassible,"
+1 more sourcefrom Latin impervius "not to be traverse, that cannot be passed through, impassible,"
+1 more sourceRoman Latin had a wonderful habit of making meanings by building little verbal machines. Here it snaps together a negative prefix, in-, with pervius, a word built from per plus via — literally “through” plus “road.” So impervious is basically a thing with no road through it: mud walls, raincoats, stubborn people, all the same to Latin. The English form shows up in the 1640s, when writers were already using it for surfaces and for minds that just would not be reached. It sits in a neat family with pervious, permeability, and impermeable — a little traffic system of words where some things let you pass and others slam the gate. Remember it as the vocabulary version of a locked door with no keyhole.
The Story
Roman Latin had a wonderful habit of making meanings by building little verbal machines. Here it snaps together a negative prefix, in-, with pervius, a word built from per plus via — literally “through” plus “road.” So impervious is basically a thing with no road through it: mud walls, raincoats, stubborn people, all the same to Latin. The English form shows up in the 1640s, when writers were already using it for surfaces and for minds that just would not be reached. It sits in a neat family with pervious, permeability, and impermeable — a little traffic system of words where some things let you pass and others slam the gate. Remember it as the vocabulary version of a locked door with no keyhole.
Modern Usage
Describes someone, especially a girl, as unaffected by obvious flirting or staring.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary
Kin & Kindred
From 'in-'·not, opposite of
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'pervius'·passable; able to be traversed
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia