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inclement

[in-klem-uh nt]
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adjective
  1. (of the weather, the elements, etc.) severe, rough, or harsh; stormy.
  2. not kind or merciful.
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Origin of inclement

1615–25; < Latin inclēment-, equivalent to in- in-3 + clēment- (stem of clēmēns) clement
Related formsin·clem·en·cy, in·clem·ent·ness, nounin·clem·ent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rigoraccuracyharshnesshardshipordealprecisiondifficultytribulationfirmnesstenacityvicissitudeausterityrigiditysnowchillstrictnessformalitysternnesssolemnityacerbity

Examples from the Web for inclemency

Historical Examples

  • We were in a wigwam, which afforded us but miserable shelter from the inclemency of the season.

    The Gypsies

    Charles G. Leland

  • John Mangles bore him company, and endured with him the inclemency of the weather.

  • This gloom, and the inclemency of the weather, added to the young painter's depression.

    Caught In The Net

    Emile Gaboriau

  • The post-boys were exposed to all the inclemency of the weather both by day and night.

  • What were rain and cold, the inclemency of the elements to them?

British Dictionary definitions for inclemency

inclement

adjective
  1. (of weather) stormy, severe, or tempestuous
  2. harsh, severe, or merciless
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Derived Formsinclemency or inclementness, nouninclemently, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inclemency

n.

1550s, from Middle French inclémence and directly from Latin inclementia "rigor, harshness, roughness," from inclemens (see inclement).

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inclement

adj.

1660s, from French inclément and directly from Latin inclementem (nominative inclemens) "harsh, unmerciful," from in- "not, opposite of, without" (see in- (1)) + clementem "mild, placid." "Limitation to weather is curious" [Weekley].

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper