impregnable

adj.

1. Impossible to capture or enter by force: an impregnable fortress.
2. Difficult or impossible to attack, challenge, or refute with success: an impregnable argument.

[Middle English imprenable, from Old French : in-, not (from Latin in-; see in-¹) + prenable, pregnauble, pregnable; see pregnable.]

impregnably im·preg'na·bly adv.

im·preg·na·ble² (ĭm-prĕg'nə-bəl)
adj.
Capable of being impregnated.

[IMPREGN(ATE) + -ABLE.]

(im-PREG-nuh-buhl)

adjective
Incapable of being taken by force; strong enough to withstand attack.

Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French imprenable, from in- (not) + prenable, from pren-, from prendre (to seize) + -able

Even though the word impregnable appears to be a cousin of impregnate, the two have separate ancestries or what linguists call etymologies. The latter word comes from praegnas (pregnant), ultimately from Indo-European root gen- (to give birth), the source of words such as generate, engine, indigenous, and germ. -Anu

Usage
"So Home Depot is a lot like Wal-Mart. An impregnable giant. No one's ever going to catch 'em, right? Not so fast. Don't look now, Mr. Nardelli, but little brother Lowe's is coming up your tailpipe." — Andy Serwer, Lowe's Hits the Nail on the Head, Fortune (New York), Jun 24, 2002.

"The theory that the Highlanders were impregnable may be supportable, but the theory that the ACT Brumbies are a pushover at home owes much to woolly thinking." — Andy Capostagno, Rugby: Is it Deja Vu For Cats?, The Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg), March 19, 1999.

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adjective

Incapable of being conquered, overrun, or subjugated: indomitable, invincible, unconquerable. See do/not do, win/lose/recovery.

adj. 1. (of a fortified position) unable to be captured or broken into: an impregnable wall of solid sandstone.

2. unable to be defeated or destroyed; unassailable: the guerrillas found the citadel impregnable.

impregnability n. impregnably adv.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

IN BRIEF: Unconquerable, unable to be taken by assault.

True courage is a result of reasoning. A brave mind is always impregnable. — Jeremy Collier.

Dansk (Danish)
1.
adj. - uindtagelig, uangribelig, uovervindelig, ufravigelig, ubestridelig

2.
adj. - befrugtet

Nederlands (Dutch)
onneembaar

Français (French)
1.
adj. - imprenable

2.
adj. - fécondé (un ¯uf)

Deutsch (German)
1.
adj. - uneinnehmbar, einbruchsicher, unerschütterlich

2.
adj. - befruchtbar (Ei)

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - απόρθητος, δυσάλωτος

Italiano (Italian)
inespugnabile

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - impregnável, inexpugnável

Русский (Russian)
неприступный, непоколебимый

Español (Spanish)
1.
adj. - inexpugnable, invulnerable

2.
adj. - fecundable

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - ointaglig, oövervinnelig, obestridlig, orubblig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 可以受孕的, 可以受精的

2. 无法攻取的, 难攻陷的, 要塞坚固的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
adj. - 可以受孕的, 可以受精的

2.
adj. - 無法攻取的, 難攻陷的, 要塞堅固的

한국어 (Korean)
1.
adj. - 난공 불락의, 확고 부동한

2.
adj. - 수정 가능한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 攻略できない, 難攻不落の, 堅固な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) منيع, حصين‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שאין לכבשו, איתן, מוצק, שאין לערערו‬
adj. - ‮בלתי-חדיר‬

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