Wordwyrt

invulnerable

/ˌɪnˈvʌlnəəbəl/in-VUHL-nur-uh-buhl
/ˌɪnˈvʌlnɚəbəl/in-VUHL-nur-uh-buhl

Meaningunable to be wounded

Common meaning: unable to be harmed

‘in, into’ + ‘a wound’ → invulnerable

Journey through time

  1. Latinvulnus, vulneris‘a wound’
  2. Frenchinvulnerable
  3. Englishinvulnerable‘unable to be harmed’ · today

in- also in: incestinciteinduceinfamyinfant

vuln also in: vulnerable

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin vulnus ‘a wound’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry vulnus, p. 2016 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

vulnerable

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