inalienable

See also: inaliénable

English

WOTD – 4 July 2009

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Inalienable possession

Etymology

Borrowed around 1645 from French inaliénable, from in- + aliénable (“alienable”), equivalent to in- +‎ alienable.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ɪˈneɪ.lɪ.ə.nə.bəl/
(US) IPA^(key): /ɪˈneɪ.li.ə.nə.bəl/
Audio (General Australian): (file)

Adjective

inalienable (not comparable)

Not subject to being alienated, that is, surrendered, taken away, or transferred to another.
Synonym: unalienable

Antonym: alienable

Coordinate term: nontransferable

Near-synonyms: indelible, unsurrenderable, permanent

An inalienable right is a right that cannot be given away nor taken away.
- 1838 (date written), L E L, chapter XX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , published 1842, →OCLC, page 252:
  "Know thy own worth, and reverence the lyre," is a line that should be as a fillet bound round the brow—a philactory embroidered on the garments of every son and daughter of Adam distinguished by the possession of that sacred gift, which, whether used or abused, applauded in itself or derided in its possessor, is the highest and the most inalienable distinction humanity ever has or ever can be gifted with, whether bestowed on the highest or the humblest being, in the great mass to which we all belong.
(grammar) Of or pertaining to a noun belonging to a special class in which the possessive construction differs from the norm, especially for particular familial relationships and body parts, regarding permanence.
Synonym: unalienable

Antonym: alienable

Just as some languages have a "be" for permanent states (which are essential) and a different "be" for temporary states (which are incidental), some languages have a "have" for unchangeable possession (which is inalienable) and a different "have" for changeable possession (which is alienable).

Usage notes

While inalienable and unalienable are today used interchangeably (with inalienable the more common) the terms have historically sometimes been distinguished.