Definition of ineluctable

The word "ineluctable" originates from two Latin roots, "in," meaning "not," and "eludere," meaning "to elude or avoid." During the Middle Ages, scholars in Europe who spoke and wrote Latin often expanded upon the language by creating new words. The first recorded use of "ineluctable" came in the late 16th century, when English writers began incorporating Latinate words into their writing. "Ineluctable" entered the English lexicon, imbued with its Latin roots, to mean "unavoidable" or "inescapable." Since then, the word has appeared in the works of numerous notable writers, most famously in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men," in which the phrase "The frailest ticket that ever was" / "Is dancing ' церemony'" is delivered in a ringing cadence as "Ineluctable modality of the visible" to describe the unavoidable truth of outward appearances. Several eminent authors have continued to use "ineluctable" throughout the centuries. Oscar Wilde wrote, "Life is a long punished by Society, for the ineluctable verity that it often imitates Art." George Bernard Shaw remarked, "The ineluctable rhythms of life are the desires and aversions by which we, as individuals, measure our differences from others." Henry James even called life itself "ineradicably ineluctable." As English continues to evolve, some contemporary linguists and writers have questioned the use of this somewhat obscure and unfamiliar word. However, its rich history and continued appearance in literature make a strong case for "ineluctable" as a word worthy of preserving.