Immutable may describe something that is incapable of change, but the word itself—like all words—is mutable, both capable of and prone to alteration. To put a finer point on it, if language were fixed, we wouldn’t have immutable itself, which required a variety of mutations of the Latin verb mutare (“to change”) to reach our tongues (or pens, keyboards, or touchscreens—oh the many permutations of communication!). Other English words that can be traced back to mutare include mutate, transmute, and commute. Which reminds us—the mutability of language makes great food for thought during one’s commute.
the immutable laws of nature
one of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation
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All transactions—encompassing policy issuance, claims and payments—are meticulously recorded on a decentralized ledger using immutable and tamper-proof records.—Arpna Aggarwal, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 In their current form, those partnerships reflect the asymmetries of a different era, when American military primacy appeared uncontested and immutable.—Ely Ratner, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025 Everywhere in music, these incongruous expectations breed inscrutable and immutable stars.—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 20 May 2025 Nothing in global commerce is fixed and immutable, and this is certainly true of the art market.—Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for immutable
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin immutabilis, from in- + mutabilis mutable
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