inviolate · adj — not violated; free from violation or hurt of any kind; secure against violation or impairment. It carries an Arena rating of 1734, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, inviolate ranks #1,401 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #2,001 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,777 of 17,151 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,627 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
inviolate is pronounced /ɪnˈvaɪ.ə.lət/.
Why “inviolate” is a great word
Not violated or profaned; kept sacredly free from infringement, disturbance, or corruption. From Middle English inviolat, from Latin inviolātus ("unharmed, unbroken"), from in- ("not") + violātus, past participle of violāre ("to treat with violence, violate"), first attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "inviolable," which declares a law or principle that must not be broken, or "sacrosanct," which suggests a venerated status conferred by authority, "inviolate" denotes a condition that simply has not been broken—a quiet fact of preservation. It is the deep silence of an ancient forest at dawn, the seal on a letter left unopened for a century, or the private grief held perfectly apart from the world's consolations; it is the fragile, perfect tense of things that remain, against all odds, as they were.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English inviolat, inviolate, from Latin inviolātus. By surface analysis, in- (“not”) + violate (adjective).
adj
- Not violated; free from violation or hurt of any kind; secure against violation or impairment.e.g.“His fortune of arms was still inviolate.” — 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →
- Incorruptible.e.g.“inviolate truth” — 1668, John Denham, Of Prudence (poem)
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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