Make Your Point > Archived Issues > UNIMPEACHABLE
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pronounce
UNIMPEACHABLE:
Say it "UN im PEECH uh bull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Does the word unimpeachable involve peaches?
Nope. It involves feet.
Sort of. It traces back to the Latin word impedicare, meaning "to catch, or to entangle, as if by tying up the feet." And you can see how impedicare traces back to pedis, "a foot."
See if you can recall a few more terms that also trace back to pedis:
1. Literally "on foot," and figuratively "plain or ordinary," the word ped______n can mean "a person who walks" or "dull, common, boring, and ordinary."
2. I_pedim____ are things or situations that slow you down or make it hard for you to move forward, as if they're blocking the movement of your feet. (If you said impediments, you're correct, but there's another form of that word that also works.)
3. E_ ped_ H_______, which is Latin for "Hercules (is measured) from his foot," means "someone used a small detail to make a guess or an assumption about something much larger."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "impeach" comes from a Latin one meaning "to catch someone, to entangle someone, as if by tying up their feet."
That's what "impeach" first meant in English, too. Over the centuries, the meaning changed. Today, to impeach someone in power (like a president) is to formally charge them or accuse them of having done something illegal.
In theory, then, anyone in a position of power is impeachable: able to be accused of having done something wrong or criminal.
Unimpeachable people, and things, are so good, so innocent, or so perfect that it's impossible to accuse them of flaws, weaknesses, mistakes, or crimes.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "He's a man of unimpeachable goodness;" "Their logic is unimpeachable."
Other forms:
Impeach, impeached, impeaching;
impeachable, impeachment, impeachability;
unimpeached, unimpeachably, unimpeachability (or, if you prefer, unimpeachableness).
how to use it:
"Unimpeachable" is a strong, emphatic, formal, very positive word.
You might talk about someone's unimpeachable honesty, kindness, or goodness.
Or, talk about someone's (or something's) unimpeachable worth, value, taste, dignity, skills, strengths, logic, artistry, etc.
Finally, you can use "unimpeachable" to describe records, legacies, histories, pedigrees, bloodlines, credentials, resumes and so on, which helps us emphasize that these things are not only excellent but also meticulously documented--and therefore not open to doubt or criticism.
examples:
"Causey was a pilot of unimpeachable courage."
— Pat Conroy, The Great Santini, 1976
"[Kumail Nanjiani] has hosted a podcast about teenage video gaming... He plays Dungeons & Dragons on Community creator Dan Harmon’s Harmontown podcast and had recurring roles on nerd-friendly TV shows such as Adventure Time and Portlandia... These are unimpeachable nerd credentials."
— Jonathan Bernstein, The Guardian, 17 April 2017
has this page helped you understand "unimpeachable"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "unimpeachable" without saying "perfectly blameless" or "unassailable."
try it out:
Think of some particular show, movie, song, poem, book, album, recipe, or other creation that you find so wonderful and excellent, so timeless and classic, that it should be above criticism.
Fill in the blank: "_____ is unimpeachable."
Example 1: "Yes, it's campy, but Season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is unimpeachable."
Example 2: "A popular opinion is that Strunk and White's Elements of Style is unimpeachable, but I beg to differ."
Example 3: "The first two Strokes albums are unimpeachable if slightly interchangeable classics, but everything starts to unravel from there."
— Jeff Weiss, Washington Post, 13 April 2018
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for this month is Rhyming Puzzles!
I'll give you a description of something, and you name it in a rhyming phrase.
Longtime readers will recognize this game from years past, when we grappled with silly answers like "shopworn popcorn," "hidebound guide hound," "cow chow kowtow," "unflagging pun bragging," and "catch-as-catch-can Etch A Sketch fan."
The answers will get longer as the month goes on. To see the clue, click the link. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
In the summer, after hanging around outdoors without using any bug spray, you discover on your bare arm a hideous design of itchy red lumps. It's as if the offending insect, skulking in the dark of the night, fancying itself a street artist, has tagged you with a piece of its art. It's your ________ ________.
Two words, three syllables each.
Clue: use this word.
review this word:
A. RISIBLE (funny, ridiculous, able to be laughed at).
B. FALLIBLE (imperfect: capable of making a mistake, or capable of being wrong).
C. OMISSIBLE (not needed: able to be omitted, deleted, skipped over, excluded, or not mentioned).
2.
In their article "Prince Charles Weds Longtime Horse," the Onion joked: "The new Duchess of Cornwall possesses a strong carriage, healthy teeth, and an unimpeachable _____."
A. coat
B. stable
C. bloodline
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Does the word unimpeachable involve peaches?
Our word "impeach" comes from a Latin one meaning "to catch someone, to entangle someone, as if by tying up their feet."
Part of speech:
"Unimpeachable" is a strong, emphatic, formal, very positive word.
"Causey was a pilot of unimpeachable courage."
Explain the meaning of "unimpeachable" without saying "perfectly blameless" or "unassailable."
Think of some particular show, movie, song, poem, book, album, recipe, or other creation that you find so wonderful and excellent, so timeless and classic, that it should be above criticism.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |