Impermeabilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being impervious to fluids, meaning no liquid can pass through a material or barrier
2. A characteristic of certain substances that prevents the infiltration of water or other liquids
3. The state of a surface or structure that resists penetration by liquids, ensuring no absorption occurs

Etymology: "Impermeabilities" is simply the plural of "impermeability", the quality of being impervious to fluids or of not letting liquid pass through. The singular was borrowed from French "imperméabilité", which is itself built on the Latin-derived "imperméable", meaning impermeable: the prefix "im-" (not) attached to "perméable", permeable, from Late Latin "permeabilis", which combines "per" (through) with "meabilis", from "meare" (to pass). Read literally, the word describes something that cannot be passed through. The plural form is rare, used when speaking of several distinct materials or barriers, each with its own degree of resistance to liquid, rather than of the general quality as an abstraction.