# inveterate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɪnˈvɛtəɹɪt/ · frequency rank #63,707

## Definitions
1. Firmly established from having been around for a long time; of long standing.
2. Having had a habit (usually a bad habit) for a long time.
3. Malignant; virulent; spiteful.

## Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1574; borrowed from Latin inveterātus (“of long standing, chronic”), perfect passive participle of inveterō and participial adjective (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, into”) + veterō (“to age”), from vetus, veteris (“old”). Cognate with Italian inveterato, French invétéré.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/inveterate