impassive
UK[ɪmˈpæsɪv]US[ɪmˈpæsɪv]
adj
not showing any emotion or feeling; calm and composed.
adj
not affected by pain or suffering; impassible.
Morpheme Breakdown
im
pass
ive
im
not
pass
suffer, feel
ive
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word "impassive" is built upon the latin root pass-, derived from the verb pati meaning "to suffer or experience". this root is also the source of words like "passion" (originally suffering) and "patient" (one who endures). the negative prefix in- (assimilated to im- before 'p') was added to form a medieval latin term meaning "incapable of suffering". in english, the suffix -ive was incorporated to create an adjective describing a state of not showing feeling or being unaffected by external stimuli. thus, the literal construction "not suffering/feeling" evolved into the modern sense of showing no emotion.
Analysis
Structure: im (not) + pass (suffer, feel) + ive (adjective suffix)
im- is a prefix of Latin origin meaning "not". pass is a root from Latin pati meaning "to suffer, endure, feel". ive is an adjective-forming suffix from Latin -ivus.
Examples
the defendant remained impassive as the guilty verdict was read.
her impassive expression gave nothing away during the negotiation.
he faced the criticism with impassive calm.