Word of the Day Archive
Monday August 7, 2000
impervious \im-PUR-vee-uhs\ , adjective:
1. Not admitting of entrance or passage through; impenetrable.
2. Not capable of being harmed or damaged.
3. Not capable of being affected.
Shipboard Internet communications will not be ubiquitous for several years, in part because it is expensive and complicated to rewire ships, and in part because the companies want systems that are impervious to such potential Internet problems as hackers, software viruses and pornography.
-- Peter H. Lewis, "From: Noah@Ark. Subject: Rain.", New York Times, October 3, 1999
The building is tremorproof, fireproof and impervious to even the most powerful tornado.
-- Michael D'Antonio, "Bunker Mentality", New York Times Magazine, March 26, 2000
He was wearing a red ronko, a "war vest," which, he said, made him impervious to bullets.
-- Jeffrey Goldberg, "A Continent's Chaos", New York Times Magazine, May 21, 2000
As it turns out, digital signals are so robust and impervious to interference that the station has picked up a viewable signal 65 miles away from the tower.
-- Joel Brinkley, "TV Goes Digital: Warts and Wrinkles Can't Hide", New York Times, March 3, 1997
Impervious comes from Latin impervius, from in-, "not" + pervius, with a way through, hence penetrable, from per-, through + via, way.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for impervious
