intransigence
UK[ɪnˈtrænzɪdʒəns]US[ɪnˈtrænsɪdʒəns]
n
the quality or state of being unwilling to change one's views or to agree about something; stubbornness.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
transig
ence
in
not
transig
settle
ence
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'intransigence' entered English in the late 19th century from Spanish intransigente, which was a political label for extreme republicans. The Spanish term itself was derived from Latin in- (not) and transigent-, the present participle stem of transigere (to settle, to come to an agreement). The core Latin verb transigere is a compound of trans- (across, through) and agere (to drive, to do), literally meaning "to drive through to completion". Therefore, the literal sense of the morphemes is "the state of not settling". The logic of the word's evolution is direct: from the concrete act of refusing to settle a dispute, it abstracted to denote the general quality of uncompromising stubbornness.
Analysis
Structure: in (not) + transig (settle) + ence (noun suffix)
- in: a latin prefix meaning "not".
- transig: from the latin verb transigere, meaning "to settle, to complete".
- ence: a latin-derived noun suffix indicating a state or quality.
Examples
his political intransigence made any form of negotiation impossible.
the union's intransigence on the issue led to a prolonged strike.
she was respected, and sometimes feared, for her intellectual intransigence.