inveterate

/ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1574; borrowed from Latin inveterātus (“of long standing, chronic”), perfect passive participle of inveterō and participial adjective (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, into”) + veterō (“to age”), from vetus, veteris (“old”). Cognate with Italian inveterato, French invétéré. By surface analysis, in- (“not, opposite”) + veterate.

inveterate means Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.

Why this word is great

INVETERATE — [Adjective] Having a long-standing and deeply ingrained habit, practice, or feeling, especially one considered negative. From the Latin inveteratus, past participle of inveterare ("to age, grow old"), from in- ("in, into") + vetus, veteris ("old"). Unlike a "casual" dalliance, which remains at the surface, or a "transient" enthusiasm, which flickers and fades, an inveterate trait is the self etched into stone by the slow drip of time. It is the gambler’s hands knowing the texture of chips before a thought forms; the polished smoothness worn into one arm of a reading chair over decades; the pessimist’s doubt, now a reflex rather than a reaction—a quiet testament to how persistence consecrates even our frailties into the bedrock of our nature.

adj

Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing.“Near-synonyms: deep-rooted, ingrained, ineradicable, indelible, radicated, chronic, permanent”
Having had a habit (usually a bad habit) for a long time.“Near-synonyms: hardened, chronic, dyed-in-the-wool”
Malignant; virulent; spiteful.“A man of mild manners can form no idea of inveterate revenge or cruelty[…]”

verb

To fix and settle after a long time; to entrench.“"the vulgar conceived that now there was an end given, and a consummation to superstitious prophecies, the belief of fools, but the talk sometimes of wise men, and to an ancient tacit expectation which had by tradition been infused and inveterated into men's minds."”