im·pa·tient  ( ĭm-p āsh ənt)
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adj.1. Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. 2. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant: impatient of criticism. 3. Expressing or produced by impatience: an impatient scowl. 4. Restively eager or desirous; anxious: impatient to begin.
[Middle English impacient, from Old French impatient, from Latin impatiēns, impatient- : in-, not; see IN-1 + patiēns, present participle of patī, to suffer, endure; see PATIENT.]
im·patient·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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