Inviolate

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈvaɪ.ə.lət/

Definitions

1. Not susceptible to desecration or breach; remaining pure, intact, or unbroken in respect to a sacred oath, agreement, or sanctity
2. Remaining free from violation, damage, or impairment, maintaining original purity or sanctity
3. Kept safe from harm or breach, preserving its original untouched and whole condition

Etymology: The adjective "inviolate" reaches English from Latin "inviolātus", a past-participle-style adjective built from "in-" meaning "not" and "violātus", the past participle of "violāre", "to violate, treat with force or outrage." So the word literally describes something that has not been violated, touched by force or breached. The Latin verb "violāre" itself carried the sense of violence and harm, which is why the root still hides a sense of force behind the calm modern meaning. The English form arrived in the Middle English period, when scribes and writers borrowed it directly from Latin. Its earliest uses were tied to things that were treated as sacred or legally protected, and that sense of an untouchable integrity has stayed attached to it ever since. Today the word is still most at home in phrases about promises, principles and reputations that remain whole despite pressure.

Synonyms: untouched, unblemished, pure, unviolated, sacred

Antonyms: violated, damaged, corrupted, blemished, tainted