Added 9 October 2026
immaculate
/ɪˈmækjʊlət/ adjective
In Latin: immaculāta Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about immaculate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Having no blemish or stain; absolutely clean and tidy.
- Containing no mistakes; free from fault.
- Containing no mistakes; free from fault.
Origin
From Late Middle English immaculat, immaculate (“blameless; flawless, spotless; specifically of the Virgin Mary: pure, undefiled”), borrowed from Latin immaculātus (“unstained”), from im- (negative prefix) + maculātus (“stained, spotted; defiled, polluted; (figurative) dishonoured”), the perfect passive participle of maculō (“to spot, stain; to defile, pollute; (figurative) to dishonour”), from macula (“a blemish, spot, stain; (figurative) blot on one’s character, fault”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *smh₂-tló-m (“wiping (?)”), from *smeh₂- (“to rub; to smear”). The word displaced Middle English unwemmed (“pure, untainted”). See also -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)