Etymograph

English

indomitable

Indomitable comes from Late Latin indomitābilis, from domō ‘to tame’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*demh₂-1‘to domesticate, tame’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*domh₂éyeti1uncertainthematic causative present of *demh₂-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*domaō1uncertain
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdomō2‘to tame’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEindomitābilis2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1902indomitable2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin domo, which cites Kroonen
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English indomitable
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1902, A. E. W. Mason: “Personal courage and an indomitable self-confidence were the chief,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*demh₂-Wiktionary, Latin domo, which cites Kroonen‘to domesticate, tame’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*domh₂éyetiWiktionary, Latin domo, which cites Kroonenuncertainthematic causative present of *demh₂-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*domaōWiktionary, Latin domo, which cites Kroonenuncertain
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdomōWiktionary, English indomitable‘to tame’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEindomitābilisWiktionary, English indomitable
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1902indomitableWiktionary, English indomitable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1902, A. E. W. Mason: “Personal courage and an indomitable self-confidence were the chief,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- ‘to domesticate, tame’

diamond, adamant, diamante, 12 more

through Late Latin domō ‘to tame’

daunt, 3 more

Today it means

adj Incapable of being subdued, overcome, or vanquished.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “indomitable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin domo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- / indomitable

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