- Today's Word
Immutable
ih-MYOO-tuh-buhl
Definition
- (adjective) Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
Example
The laws of physics are often regarded as immutable, governing the universe with unwavering consistency.
Fun Fact
“Immutable” comes from the Latin immutabilis, combining in- (“not”) and mutabilis (“changeable”). The word has been used to describe enduring principles, truths, or conditions. Its philosophical roots remind us of humanity’s quest to understand what is permanent in an ever-changing world.
(adjective) Showy and cheap in appearance; flashy in a way that suggests low quality or poor taste.
The hotel lobby was all tawdry glamour — gold-painted fixtures, velvet ropes, and crystal chandeliers that turned out to be plastic on closer inspection.
Tawdry is one of English’s most remarkable etymological stories — it derives directly from St. Audrey, a 7th century Anglo-Saxon queen who died of a throat tumor she believed was divine punishment for her youthful vanity in wearing elaborate necklaces. At the annual St. Audrey’s Fair held in her honor on the Isle of Ely, cheap lace necklaces were sold as souvenirs — called “St. Audrey’s lace,” which over time was slurred into “tawdry lace,” and eventually just tawdry. A queen’s dying regret became an adjective for everything she once loved.