Impossible

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɒs.ɪ.bl̩/

Definitions

1. Something that cannot be done, achieved, or occur under any circumstances
2. not able to be done, achieved, or exist given current laws of nature or practical constraints
3. incapable of happening or being accomplished no matter what efforts are made

Etymology: "Impossible" is a plain building block: the prefix "im-" added to "possible." That prefix is the Latin "in-" meaning "not," and it has changed form to match the sound that follows, becoming "im-" before "p" and "b." The base "possible" comes from the Latin "possibilis," formed from "posse," "to be able," itself built from "potis," "able," and "esse," "to be." So at its core the word simply says "not able to be." The "im-" in the word is not a separate import but the same negating prefix found in words like "impure" and "imbalance," which shows that English has long attached this prefix to Latin-derived adjectives. The Middle English form "impossible" was in use by the time English had absorbed large numbers of Latin and French terms, so the word arrived as a ready-made pairing of negation and ability rather than something coined later.

Synonyms: unfeasible, inconceivable, unattainable

Antonyms: possible, feasible