intractable
UK[ɪnˈtræktəbl̩]US[ɪnˈtræktəbl̩]
adj
Very difficult to control, manage, or solve
adj
(of a person or animal) Stubborn and difficult to influence or persuade
Morpheme Breakdown
in
tract
able
in
not
tract
pull, draw
able
capable of
Etymology
The word 'intractable' originates from the Latin verb trahere, meaning "to pull or draw." Its past participle tractus gave rise to the root 'tract,' which appears in English words related to pulling or drawing out, such as 'tractor' and 'attract.' The negative prefix 'in-' (meaning "not") and the adjective-forming suffix '-able' were added, creating the literal sense of "not able to be pulled or drawn." This concrete meaning evolved metaphorically to describe problems, situations, or people that are stubbornly resistant to being "drawn" toward a solution, managed, or guided, hence "difficult to control or solve."
Analysis
Structure: in (not) + tract (pull, draw) + able (capable of)
- in: Latin prefix meaning "not".
- tract: From Latin tractus, the past participle of trahere meaning "to pull, draw, drag".
- able: A suffix forming adjectives meaning "capable of, fit for, tending to".
Examples
The country faces an intractable economic crisis with no easy solutions in sight.
Despite numerous attempts at negotiation, the intractable leader refused to compromise.
Some forms of cancer remain intractable to current medical treatments.