inveterate
adjective
Pronunciation
in-VET-uh-rut
Definition
- firmly established by long persistence
- confirmed in a habit : habitual
Examples
Since Ernie is an inveterate liar, we naturally didn't believe him when he told us he'd met the movie star.
"As an inveterate letter writer, I started sending email as soon as I could sign on with dial-up, and became impatient to connect via DSL." — Deborah Lee Luskin, The Rutland (Vermont) Herald, 25 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from Latin vetus, which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb inveterare ("to age"). That verb in turn gave rise eventually to the adjective inveteratus, the direct source of our adjective inveterate (in use since the 14th century). In the past, inveterate has meant "long-standing" or simply "old." For example, one 16th-century writer warned of "Those great Flyes which in the springe time of the yeare creepe out of inveterate walls." Today, inveterate most often applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence that it is practically ineradicable or unalterable.
Test Your Memory
Fill in the blank in this sentence from our March 25th Word of the Day: "The narrow greens, pesky hazards, and _______fairways make the golf course one of the most challenging places to play in the area."
Merriam-Webster
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