Etymology

unflappable

U1N1F4L1A1P3P3A1B3L1E1

Today it means: Remaining composed and level-headed at all times; impossible to fluster; not becoming frustrated or irritated easily. Full definition →

First used 1954English flap ← Middle English un- ← Old English un-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Germanic*un-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*un-
  5. Old Englishun-
  6. Middle Englishun-
  7. Englishun-
  8. Englishflap
  9. English todayunflappable

From un- + flap (“to upset, stir”) + -able.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1954 Remaining composed and level-headed at all times; impossible to fluster; not becoming frustrated or irritated easily.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.