impermeable

[ im-pur-mee-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not permeable; impassable.
2. Chemistry, Geology. (of porous substances, rocks, etc.) not permitting the passage of a fluid through the pores, interstices, etc.

impermeable

/ ɪmˈpɜːmɪəbəl /

adjective

1. (of a substance) not allowing the passage of a fluid through interstices; not permeable

impermeable

/ ĭm-pûr′mē-ə-bəl /

1. Relating to a material through which substances, such as liquids or gases, cannot pass. Some substances, such as some types of contact lenses, are permeable to gas but impermeable to liquid.

Derived Forms

• imˌpermeaˈbility, noun
• imˈpermeably, adverb

Other Words From

• im·perme·a·bili·ty im·perme·a·ble·ness noun
• im·perme·a·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impermeable¹

From the Late Latin word impermeābilis, dating back to 1690–1700. See im- ², permeable

Example Sentences

It is the fantasy of an impermeable barrier that allows one’s purity to remain unsullied.

From Salon

By that they mean, if not quite wiping out the Conservatives, chipping away yet further at what had long seemed impermeable Tory territory primarily in southern England.

From BBC

Roberts said that Chiquita Canyon was far behind schedule with the installation of a large impermeable cover, which was intended to suppress odors.

From Los Angeles Times

Their technology involves pumping through fissures in the ground and squirting the carbon-rich material thousands of feet down, beneath a rock layer that should be impermeable for centuries.

From Salon

Prato demonstrated the method earlier this week outside the emergency department of Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, packing ice cubes inside an impermeable blue bag around a medical dummy representing a patient.

From Seattle Times