peremptory

WOTD – 11 June 2010    

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman peremptorie, parentorie et al. (Modern French péremptoire), and its source, Latin peremptōrius (“deadly; decisive”), from perimō.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /pəˈɹɛmptəɹi/, X-SAMPA: /p@"rEmpt@rI/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

peremptory (comparative more peremptory, superlative most peremptory)

1. (law) Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or appeal; positive; absolute; decisive; conclusive; final. [from 15th c.]
   • 1596, Francis Bacon, Maxims of the Law, II:

     there is no reason but if any of the outlawries be indeed without error, but it should be a peremptory plea to the person in a writ of error, as well as in any other action.

2. Positive in opinion or judgment; absolutely certain, overconfident, unwilling to hear any debate or argument (especially in a pejorative sense); dogmatic. [from 16th c.]
   • 2003, Andrew Marr, The Guardian, 6 Jan 03:

     He marched under a placard reading "End Bossiness Now" but decided it was a little too peremptory, not quite British, so changed the slogan on subsequent badges, to "End Bossiness Soon."

3. (obsolete) Firmly determined, resolute; obstinate, stubborn. [16th-18th c.]
4. Accepting no refusal or disagreement; imperious, dictatorial. [from 17th c.]
   • 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Chapter I

     […] less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.

   • 1999, Anthony Howard, The Guardian, 2 Jan 99:

     Though today (surveying that yellowing document) I shudder at the peremptory tone of the instructions I gave, Alastair - in that same volume in which I get chastised for my coverage of the Macmillan rally - was generous enough to remark that my memorandum became 'an office classic'.

Translations

(law) Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or appeal

• Finnish: lopullinen (fi)
• French: irréfutable (fr), sans appel (fr), péremptoire (fr)
• German: unabweisbar (de), entschieden (de)
• Italian: irrefutabile (it), inconfutabile (it)

• Polish: bezapelacyjny (pl), kategoryczny (pl)
• Russian: безапелляционный (ru) (bezapelljacionnyj), категоричный (ru) (kategoričnyj)
• Spanish: irrefutable (es), irrebatible (es), inapelable (es)

Positive in opinion or judgment; decided, dogmatic

• Finnish: ehdoton (fi)
• French: péremptoire (fr)
• Italian: perentorio (it)

• Polish: dogmatyczny (pl), zdecydowany (pl)
• Russian: догматический (ru) (dogmatičeskij)
• Spanish: perentorio (es)

(obsolete) Firmly determined; obstinate

• Finnish: ehdoton (fi)

imperious, dictatorial

• French: impérieux (fr), autoritaire (fr), dictatorial (fr)
• Polish: despotyczny (pl), dyktatorski (pl), władczy (pl)

• Russian: повелительный (ru) (povelitelʹnyj)
• Spanish: imperioso (es), autoritario (es), dictatorial (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ontegensprekelijk , zelfverzekerd, dogmatisch

Anagrams

• preëmptory

References

• peremptory in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913