First recorded in 1375–1425.
Comes from Latin, from the past participle of inveterāre, “to grow old, allow to grow old, preserve.\"
Inveterāre contains veter-, the stem of vetus, meaning “old,\" which is also the stem of the word veteran.
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF INVETERATE\r\n

The inveterate procrastinator always left things until the last minute.
As an inveterate optimist, she always saw the bright side of every situation.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/I02/I0281600.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/inveterate_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"Ud7-G1FFg6UtOn8PEQTpb","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"tenosynovitis","entry":"tenosynovitis"},{"slug":"tenotomy","entry":"tenotomy"},{"slug":"tenpenny","entry":"tenpenny"},{"slug":"ten-percenter","entry":"ten percenter"},{"slug":"tenpin","entry":"tenpin"}],"after":[{"slug":"tenpins","entry":"tenpins"},{"slug":"tenpounder","entry":"tenpounder"},{"slug":"tenrec","entry":"tenrec"},{"slug":"tens","entry":"TENS"},{"slug":"tensas","entry":"Tensas"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tenpin-bowling"},"requestId":"ufsf7M6MhO6fvd4uSINxT","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tenpin-bowling"},"requestId":"63zRjwnkIpbl0NE2Br947","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"tenpin bowling","slug":"tenpin-bowling"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a bowling game in which heavy bowls are rolled down a long lane to knock over the ten target pins at the other end\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}, {\"text\": \"Also called (esp US and Canadian)tenpins\", \"type\": \"text\"}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"tenpin-bowling"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"tenpin-bowling"},"requestId":"ZaEHV9EfLlas9agg_Wb7I","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"tenpin-bowling","displayForm":"tenpin bowling","canonicalSlug":"tenpin-bowling","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"u11d1def534ea1be0.1a3ea532.11d23f42c66.2270.1","type":"normal","entry":"tenpin bowling","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":""},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","definition":"a bowling game in which heavy bowls are rolled down a long lane to knock over the ten target pins at the other end","postdefinitionContent":"Also called (esp US and Canadian): tenpins"}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":154773,"index-rank-01":["tenpin bowling"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":[],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tenpin-bowling"},"requestId":"R5QQiYexe5-D8y58UrIRF","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":["tenon","tiepin","tie pin","tending","tendon","tensing","tension","tenting","ternion","unpin","tune in","turn in","terrapin","toning","tuning","typing","trepan","turn upon","deeping","tanning","tapping","tinning","tipping","topping","denying","kingpin","tontine","turns in","deepen","in pain","tuned in","tuned-in","ten","done in","done-in","be in pain"],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"tenon","slug":"tenon"},{"displayForm":"tiepin","slug":"tiepin"},{"displayForm":"tie pin","slug":"tie%20pin"},{"displayForm":"tending","slug":"tending"},{"displayForm":"tendon","slug":"tendon"},{"displayForm":"tensing","slug":"tensing"},{"displayForm":"tension","slug":"tension"},{"displayForm":"tenting","slug":"tenting"},{"displayForm":"ternion","slug":"ternion"},{"displayForm":"unpin","slug":"unpin"},{"displayForm":"tune in","slug":"tune%20in"},{"displayForm":"turn in","slug":"turn%20in"},{"displayForm":"terrapin","slug":"terrapin"},{"displayForm":"toning","slug":"toning"},{"displayForm":"tuning","slug":"tuning"},{"displayForm":"typing","slug":"typing"},{"displayForm":"trepan","slug":"trepan"},{"displayForm":"turn upon","slug":"turn%20upon"},{"displayForm":"deeping","slug":"deeping"},{"displayForm":"tanning","slug":"tanning"},{"displayForm":"tapping","slug":"tapping"},{"displayForm":"tinning","slug":"tinning"},{"displayForm":"tipping","slug":"tipping"},{"displayForm":"topping","slug":"topping"},{"displayForm":"denying","slug":"denying"},{"displayForm":"kingpin","slug":"kingpin"},{"displayForm":"tontine","slug":"tontine"},{"displayForm":"turns in","slug":"turns%20in"},{"displayForm":"deepen","slug":"deepen"},{"displayForm":"in pain","slug":"in%20pain"},{"displayForm":"tuned in","slug":"tuned%20in"},{"displayForm":"tuned-in","slug":"tuned-in"},{"displayForm":"ten","slug":"ten"},{"displayForm":"done in","slug":"done%20in"},{"displayForm":"done-in","slug":"done-in"},{"displayForm":"be in pain","slug":"be%20in%20pain"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"tenpin-bowling"},"requestId":"4073v4UMhy5ymW-gt36j_","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

tenpin bowling

noun

Word of the Day