pregnable

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preg·na·ble

(prĕg′nə-bəl)

adj.

Being such that attack, seizure, or capture is possible; vulnerable or assailable: a pregnable fortress.

[Middle English preignable, pregnabul, from Old French prenable, pregnauble, from prendre, to grasp, from Latin prehendere, prēndere; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]

preg′na·bil′i·ty n.

pregnable

(ˈprɛɡnəbəl)

adj

capable of being assailed or captured

[C15 prenable, from Old French prendre to take, from Latin prehendere to lay hold of, catch]

ˌpregnaˈbility n

preg•na•ble

(ˈprɛg nə bəl)

adj.

1. capable of being taken by force: a pregnable fortress.

2. open to rebuttal: a pregnable argument.

[1400–50; late Middle English prenable < Middle French pre(g)nable]

preg`na•bil′i•ty, n.

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pregnable

adjective

Open to attack and capture because of a lack of protection:

assailable, attackable, vincible, vulnerable.

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References in periodicals archive ?

It draws upon vast unpublished and published documentation, including materials gathered in ten archives in Russia, among them the less pregnable collections of the Federal Security Service (FSB, St.

Perlustration in Imperial Russia

The skin is easily pregnable by bacteria and other contaminants resulting in serious risk of fatal infection.

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Research indicates that HCV affects kidneys, heart, bones, brain, and eyes--all highly pregnable organs in people with HIV infection (Figure 2).