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Webster 1913 Edition


Impervious

Im-per′vi-ous

,
Adj.
[L.
impervius
; pref.
im-
not +
per
through +
via
way. See
Voyage
.]
Not pervious; not admitting of entrance or passage through;
as, a substance
impervious
to water or air
.
This gulf impassable,
impervious
.
Milton.
Im-per′vi-ous-ly
,
adv.
Im-per′vi-ous-ness
,
Noun.

Webster 1828 Edition


Impervious

IMPER'VIOUS

,
Adj.
[L. impervius; in and pervius, passable; per and via, way.]
1.
Not to be penetrated or passed through; impenetrable; as an impervious gulf; an impervious forest.
2.
Not penetrable; not to be pierced by a pointed instrument; as an impervious shield.
3.
Not penetrable by light; not permeable to fluids. Glass is pervious to light, but impervious to water. Paper is impervious to light. In the latter sense only, impervious is synonymous with impermeable.

Definition 2024


impervious

impervious

English

Adjective

impervious (comparative more impervious, superlative most impervious)

  1. Unaffected or unable to be affected by.
    The man was completely impervious to the deception we were trying.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.
  2. Preventive of any penetration; impenetrable, impermeable, particularly of water.
    Although patchworked and sagging, the roof proved impervious to the weather.
  3. Immune to damage or effect.
    The old car seemed to be impervious to the wear and tear of age.

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