Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--irrefragable

irrefragable (i-REF-ruh-guh-buhl)

adjective: Impossible to refute or dispute; incontrovertible.

[From Late Latin irrefragabilis, from Latin in- (not) + refragari (to oppose). Ultimately from Indo-European root bhreg- (to break) that's also the progenitor of words such as break, breach, fraction, fragile, fractal, infringe, and suffrage. Suffrage? Remember, a broken piece of tile was used as a ballot in earlier times.]

"These issues were high on the agenda of the last American-Turkish talks. They were discussed thoroughly by the two sides many times and there were discords too. Thus George Bush won't give an irrefragable answer to these issues in Ankara."
Hakob Chakrian; US President in Ankara For the NATO Summit; AZG Armenian Daily (Yerevan, Armenia); Jun 26, 2004.

"Anderson quite clearly asserts 'there was irrefragable evidence of use of equine growth hormone by at least one cyclist at the AIS Del Monte'."
Inside the Shooting Gallery; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Jul 10, 2004.

This week's theme: Unusual words

X-Bonus