unregenerate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 28, 2006 is: unregenerate • \un-rih-JEN-uh-rut\ • adjective 1 : not spiritually reborn or converted 2 a : not reformed : unreconstructed b : obstinate, stubborn Examples: Despite pleadings from his friends, Shane remained unregenerate about his decision. Did you know? There was a time when the adjective "regenerate" had more to do with being spiritually reborn than with being physically re-created; in the 16th century, "regenerate" was used of someone spiritually reborn. By the late 1500s, English speakers had added "un-" to "regenerate" to describe someone who refused to accept spiritual reformation. Since then, "unregenerate" has taken on a life of its own, gaining the extended specific meanings of "unconverted to a particular doctrinaire viewpoint," "persisting in a reactionary stand," or just plain "stubborn." Both "regenerate" and "unregenerate" trace back to the Latin "genus," meaning "birth" or "descent." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.