Intransiger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who is inflexible or unwilling to compromise their position in a disagreement or negotiation
2. A person who remains steadfast and unyielding, refusing to alter their view despite opposing arguments
3. An individual characterized by a rigid adherence to principles, exhibiting no tolerance for differing opinions

Etymology: "Intransigent" entered English in the 1870s, borrowed from French "intransigeant," itself from Spanish "intransigente," and ultimately from Latin "intransigens," a compound of "in-" (not) and "transigere" (to come to terms, to settle, from "trans-" across and "agere" to drive or do). Its literal sense is something like "not coming to an agreement." The adjective came first in English, and the noun "intransigent" for a person who refuses to yield followed as its use grew. The noun's rise is tied to French politics. In the 1870s, French republicans and the hard-line royalists and Bonapartists who opposed compromise were so often described as "intransigeants" in the press that the label became a standard name for uncompromising party factions. Spanish politics had a similar pattern, which helps explain the Spanish form that passed into French.