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ir·re·triev·a·ble

(ĭr′ĭ-trēvə-bəl)

adj.

Difficult or impossible to retrieve or recover: Once the ring fell down the drain, it was irretrievable.

ir′re·trieva·ble·ness, ir′re·triev′a·bili·ty n.

ir′re·trieva·bly adv.

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

Semitic Roots

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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