Inimitability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of being so unique and exceptional that no imitation can occur
2. The characteristic of being so unique that it cannot be copied by others
3. A trait that makes something unmatched and unable to be duplicated

Etymology: "Inimitability" is simply "inimitable" with the noun-forming ending "-ability" attached. "Inimitable" itself comes from Latin "inimitabilis," built from the negative prefix "in-" ("not") and "imitabilis" ("that can be imitated"), which in turn comes from "imitari," to imitate. So the word literally describes the quality of not being capable of imitation. The "-ability" ending is an ordinary English suffix that turns an adjective ending in "-able" or "-ible" into an abstract noun for a quality. It follows the same pattern as "capability" from "capable" or "probability" from "probable," so the word is a regular, transparent formation rather than a special coinage. The OED records it as a noun in its own right, with the dictionary entry tracing the word's development in English. Because the word is built so openly from its parts, its meaning stays close to the Latin original: whatever is "inimitable" is beyond copying, and "inimitability" names that condition directly.

Synonyms: uniqueness, distinctiveness

Antonyms: imitability