Untenable
/ʌnˈtɛnəbəl/noun
Not able to be maintained, defended, or successfully continued.
Did you know?Tenable originally described something that could be physically held or occupied, before developing its modern sense of an argument or position that cannot be defended.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“To stretch, hold, or extend”
Classical Latin
Latin
tenēre
“To hold, keep, or possess”
Medieval Latin
Latin
tenēbilis
“Able to be held or maintained”
12th–13th Century
Old French
tenir
“To hold, keep, or occupy”
16th Century
English
tenable
“Capable of being held, occupied, or defended”
17th Century
English
untenable
“Not capable of being maintained or defended”
Modern English
English
untenable
“Impossible to sustain, justify, or continue”