adamantine

adj.

1. Made of or resembling adamant.
2. Having the hardness or luster of a diamond.
3. Unyielding; inflexible: "If there is one dominant trait that emerges from this account, it is adamantine willpower" (Eugene Linden).

(ad-uh-MAN-teen, -tin)

adjective
1. Unyielding or firm.
2. Like a diamond in hardness or luster.

Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French adamaunt, from Latin adamas, adamant, hard metal, steel, diamond, etc., from Greek adamas, adamant, a- not + daman, to conquer.

Usage
"They become adamantine critics whose distrust of power (governmental power, at any rate) is absolute." — David Aaronovitch, Excuse Me, But What's Wrong With Being Pro-Government?, The Independent (London, UK) Dec 24, 1999.

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adjective

Firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will: adamant, brassbound, die-hard, grim, implacable, incompliant, inexorable, inflexible, intransigent, iron, obdurate, relentless, remorseless, rigid, stubborn, unbendable, unbending, uncompliant, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding. Idioms: stubborn as amuleox. See resist/yield.

Pertaining to the enamel of the teeth.

The word used to describe a very high luster, like the luster of a diamond. It is a submetallic luster on a translucent material.

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