Word of the Day

Thursday July 23, 2009

indefatigable [in-dih-FAT-ih-guh-bul]

adjective

Incapable of being fatigued; not yielding to fatigue; as, indefatigable exertions, perseverance, application; not readily exhausted; untiring; unwearying

In eulogizing her, Netanyahu said that it was fitting that she should find her final resting place in Jerusalem. "Her [Lilyan Wilder]'s commitment to Israel and the Jewish People was absolute and indefatigable.

Greer Fay Cashman, "Strings that bind", Jerusalem Post, Apr 1, 2009
How it reproduces: Oystercatchers build their nests on bare rock, among logs, or in shells above the tide line. Two to three eggs are laid in May or June, and both parents will incubate them for just under a month. At about five weeks old, young oystercatchers are old enough to follow their parents down to the shoreline to learn to search for food themselves. Until then it's brought to them by their indefatigable parents.

Nicholas Read, "Urban Critter: Black oyster catcher", The Vancouver Sun, Mar 28, 2009
Though most of the herds, which in summer grazed these rich fields, had wandered far away to the south, their indefatigable hunter succeeded in shooting two deer and a stray buffalo, which was found mired. He also took several fat turkeys and swans.

John S. C. Abbott (1805-1877) American historian, pastor, and writer. The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle

Origin of the Word

Indefatigable , approximately 1586, derives from Latin indefatigabilis "that cannot be wearied," from in- "not" + defatigare "to tire out," from de- "utterly, down, away" + fatigare "to weary".