Adamantine

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌæd.əˈmæn.taɪn/

Definitions

1. Possessing an unwavering and impenetrable strength similar to that of diamonds
2. Having a hardness resembling a diamond's toughness and resistance to damage ; refusing to change one's mind or stance under any circumstances
3. Characterized by exceptional firmness and strength like that seen in precious gemstones ; displaying firm determination and refusing compromise

Etymology: The Greek "adamas" was originally a word for the hardest substance known, a name that could cover steel or the diamond, and "adamantinos" was built from it to mean "made of steel" or "hard as adamant." Latin took the word over as "adamantinus," and it reached English through Middle English and Anglo-Norman forms, so the adjective has always carried the sense of unbreakable hardness. The noun it grew from, "adamant," was once a name for the lodestone, the magnetic stone that draws iron to itself. Because of this, the adjective picked up a second, older sense of attracting or drawing, and it also came to mean brilliant as a diamond. The hardness sense is the one that survives today, so an adamantine resolve is one that will not bend.

Synonyms: unyielding, inflexible, relentless

Antonyms: yielding, flexible, soft