irrevocable

See also: irrévocable

English

Etymology

From Middle French irrévocable, 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. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     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.

   • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, chapter 61, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     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”, in 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

• Czech: neodvolatelný (cs)
• Danish: uigenkaldelig
• Dutch: onherroepelijk (nl)
• Esperanto: nerevokebla
• Finnish: peruuttamaton (fi)
• French: irrévocable (fr), irréversible (fr), irréfragable (fr)
• Georgian: შეუცვლელი (šeucvleli), შეუქცევადი (šeukcevadi)
• German: unwiderruflich (de)
• Greek: αμετάκλητος (el) (ametáklitos)
• Hungarian: visszavonhatatlan (hu), megmásíthatatlan (hu), megfellebbezhetetlen (hu)
• Italian: irrevocabile (it)
• 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)
• Ukrainian: безповоротний (uk) (bezpovorotnyj), невідкличний (nevidklyčnyj), незмінний (nezminnyj), безвідкли́чний (bezvidklýčnyj)

Catalan

Etymology

From ir- +‎ revocable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [i.rə.βuˈkab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [i.rə.voˈkab.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [i.re.voˈka.ble]

Adjective

irrevocable m or f (masculine and feminine plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

   Antonym: revocable

Derived terms

• irrevocabilitat
• irrevocablement

Further reading

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

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin irrevocābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ireboˈkable/ [i.re.β̞oˈka.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: i‧rre‧vo‧ca‧ble

Adjective

irrevocable m or f (masculine and feminine plural irrevocables)

1. irrevocable

Derived terms

• irrevocabilidad
• irrevocablemente

 

Further reading

• “irrevocable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16