Inimitable
/ɪˈnɪmɪtəbəl/noun
Too unique or excellent to be copied or imitated.
Did you know?Inimitable comes from Latin imitatio, “a copying,” ultimately from a root meaning “to copy or imitate,” so the word’s power is in its refusal of duplication.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“to copy, imitate”
Latin
Latin
imitari
“to imitate, copy, emulate”
Latin
Latin
in- + imitabilis
“not able to be imitated”
Middle French
Old French
inimitable
“inimitable, impossible to copy”
Early Modern English
English
inimitable
“too excellent or unusual to be copied”
Modern English
English
inimitable
“too unique or excellent to be imitated”
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