incorrigible

English

WOTD – 10 April 2016

Etymology

From Middle English incorrigible, from Middle French incorrigible (1334), or directly from Latin incorrigibilis (“not to be corrected”), from in- (“not”) +‎ corrigere (“to correct”) +‎ -ibilis (“-able”). Recorded since 1340.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɒɹɪdʒəb(ə)l/, /ɪnˈkɒɹɪdʒɪb(ə)l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɔɹɪd͡ʒəb(ə)l/, /ɪnˈkɔɹəd͡ʒəb(ə)l/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧cor‧ri‧gi‧ble

Adjective

incorrigible (not comparable)

1. Defective and impossible to materially correct or set aright.

   The construction flaw is incorrigible; any attempt to amend it would cause a complete collapse.

2. Incurably depraved; not reformable.

   His dark soul was too incorrigible to repent, even at his execution.

3. Impervious to correction by punishment or pain.
4. Unmanageable.
   • 2006 December 7, Michael White, “Breaking up is hard to do, even at the Treasury”, in The Guardian‎^[1], London:

     Gordon Brown may have his grumpy, Granita moments, but as a strategist he is an incorrigible optimist.

5. Determined, unalterable, hence impossible to improve upon.

   The laws of nature and mathematics are incorrigible.

6. (archaic) Incurable.
   • 1859, The British Journal of Psychiatry, volume 6, page 312:

     It may appear as an epidemic, as a hereditary complaint, or as an obstinate and incorrigible disease again and again recurring.

Synonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

• irredeemable
• irreparable
• uncorrectable

Antonyms

• corrigible

Derived terms

• incorrigibility
• incorrigibly

Related terms

• incorrect

Translations

defective and materially impossible to correct or set aright

• Bulgarian: непоправим (bg) (nepopravim)
• Dutch: onverbeterbaar, onherstelbaar (nl)
• German: unverbesserbar (de)
• Macedonian: непоправлив (nepopravliv)
• Maori: ngākau totoa
• Portuguese: incorrigível (pt)
• Russian: неисправи́мый (ru) (neispravímyj)
• Spanish: incorregible (es)

incurably depraved

• Arabic: عَنِيد (ʕanīd)
• Dutch: onverbeterlijk (nl)
• Esperanto: nekorektebla
• Galician: incorrixible (gl)
• German: unverbesserlich (de)
• Igbo: mmekwata
• Middle English: incorrigible
• Portuguese: incorrigível (pt)
• Shona: kuchinja
• Slovak: nenapraviteľný
• Spanish: empecatado
• Swedish: oförbätterlig
• Welsh: anniwygiadwy

impervious to correction by punishment or pain

• Bulgarian: непоправим (bg) (nepopravim)
• Dutch: onverbeterlijk (nl)
• Finnish: auttamaton (fi)
• German: unverbesserlich (de)
• Macedonian: непоправлив (nepopravliv)
• Portuguese: incorrigível (pt)
• Spanish: incorregible (es)

unmanageable — see unmanageable

determined, unalterable

• Dutch: onverbeterbaar, onveranderlijk (nl)
• German: unverbesserlich (de)
• Maori: ngākau totoa
• Spanish: incorregible (es)

incurable

• Bulgarian: неизлечим (bg) (neizlečim)
• Macedonian: неизлечив (neizlečiv)
• Russian: неизлечи́мый (ru) (neizlečímyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} incorrigible (fr)

Noun

incorrigible (plural incorrigibles)

1. An incorrigibly bad individual.

   The incorrigibles in the prison population are either lifers or habitual reoffenders.

Translations

an incorrigibly bad individual

• Dutch: onverbeterlijke (nl) m
• French: incorrigible (fr) m or f
• Macedonian: непоправник m (nepopravnik)
• Maori: ngākau totoa

French

Etymology

Recorded since 1334 as Middle French incorrigible, from Latin incorrigibilis (“not to be corrected”), from in- "not" + corrigere "to correct" + -ibilis "-able".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.kɔ.ʁi.ʒibl/

Adjective

incorrigible (plural incorrigibles)

1. incorrigible

   Antonyms: corrigible, corrigeable

Related terms

• corriger

Noun

incorrigible m (plural incorrigibles)

1. an incorrigible

Further reading

• “incorrigible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• incorigeble, incorrigibil, incorygibile, incorigibyll

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French incorrigible, from Latin incorrigibilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inˌkɔriˈdʒiːbəl/, /inˈkɔridʒibəl/

Adjective

incorrigible (Late Middle English)

1. insoluble, unmanageable
2. irredeemable, not reformable

Descendants

• English: incorrigible

References

• “incorriǧī̆ble, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin incorrigibilis.

Adjective

incorrigible m or f (plural incorrigibles)

1. unpunished

   Pource que nous ne vouloiens mie que telz fais demourast incorrigibles […]

   Because we don't want such deeds to go unpunished

Descendants

• → Middle English: incorrigible, incorigeble, incorrigibil, incorygibile, incorigibyll
  • English: incorrigible
• French: incorrigible

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (incorrigible)