irrevocable

See also: irrévocable

English

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French [Term?], from Latin irrevocabilis; equivalent to ir- +‎ revoke +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹɛvəkəb(ə)l/, /ɪɹɪˈvəʊkəb(ə)l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹɛvəkəb(ə)l/, /ɪɹəˈvoʊkəb(ə)l/, /ɪɹiˈvoʊkəb(ə)l/

Adjective

irrevocable (not comparable)

1. Unable to be retracted or reversed; final.
   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, As You Like It act 1, scene 3:

     Firm and irrevocable is my doom

     Which I have pass'd upon her; she is banish'd.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:

     I have talked thus to you, child, not to insult you for what is past and irrevocable, but to caution and strengthen you for the future.

   • 1848, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, chapter 61:

     On each face, wonder and fear were painted vividly; each so still and silent, looking at the other over the black gulf of the irrevocable past.

   • 2005 April 28, Samuel Abt, "Cycling: Cipo retires. Definitely. Absolutely. Yes. Probably," New York Times (retrieved 27 April 2014):

     Once again, Mario Cipollini has announced his definite, absolute, unswerving and irrevocable decision to retire, and this time he means it. Probably.

Usage notes

• Pronunciations with antepenultimate stress are common, but sometimes proscribed.

Translations

unable to be retracted or reversed

• Azerbaijani: qaytarılmaz
• Bulgarian: безвъзвратен (bg) (bezvǎzvraten), окончателен (bg) (okončatelen)
• Catalan: irrevocable
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不可撤销的

• Danish: uigenkaldelig
• Esperanto: nerevokebla
• Finnish: peruuttamaton (fi)
• Georgian: შეუცვლელი (šeucvleli), შეუქცევადი (šeukcevadi)
• German: unwiderruflich (de)

• Greek: αμετάκλητος (el) (ametáklitos)
• Hungarian: visszavonhatatlan (hu), megmásíthatatlan (hu), megfellebbezhetetlen
• Japanese: 取り返しのつかない (torikaeshi no tsukanai)
• Manx: neuchaghlaaee
• Polish: nieodwołalny (pl)
• Portuguese: irrevocável
• Russian: неизме́нный (ru) (neizménnyj), необратимый (ru) (neobratimyj)
• Spanish: irrevocable
• Swedish: oåterkallelig (sv)

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Catalan

Etymology

ir- +‎ revocable

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /i.rə.voˈka.blə/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /i.rə.buˈka.blə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /i.re.voˈka.ble/

Adjective

irrevocable (masculine and feminine plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

Antonyms

• revocable

Derived terms

• irrevocabilitat
• irrevocablement

Further reading

• “irrevocable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ireboˈkable/, [i.re.β̞oˈka.β̞le]

• Hyphenation: i‧rre‧vo‧ca‧ble

Adjective

irrevocable (plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

Derived terms

• irrevocablemente

Further reading

• “irrevocable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.