Word of the Day - 11/25/25
immanent
/'ɪmənənt/(adj.): existing or operating within; inherent
The immanent beauty of the landscape was apparent to anyone who took the time to observe it.
(adj.): being within the limits of possible experience or knowledge
For empiricists, all knowledge must be immanent to human experience.
(adj.): (of God) permanently pervading and sustaining the universe
She felt God’s immanent presence in the beauty of the forest around her.
Word Origin
The word 'immanent' originates from Late Latin 'immanentem', the present participle of 'immanere', meaning 'to remain in, dwell in'. It is composed of the prefix 'in-' (meaning 'in' or 'within') and the verb 'manere' (meaning 'to remain' or 'to dwell').
Words with similar origins include 'remain' (from Old French 'remanoir', ultimately from Latin 'remanere', combining 're-' and 'manere'), 'permanent' (from Latin 'permanere', combining 'per-' and 'manere'), 'mansion' (from Latin 'mansio', a dwelling place, from 'manere'), and 'manor' (from Old French 'maneir', from Latin 'manere').
"Immanent" and "imminent" sound strikingly similar because they both descend from Latin forms beginning with im- and follow nearly identical rhythmic patterns in English, where unstressed middle syllables tend to blur. Yet their deeper roots diverge: immanent comes from immanēre, meaning “to remain within,” while imminent traces back to imminēre, meaning “to overhang” or “threaten.” Their near-homophony is a quirk of English sound simplification, even though their Latin origins point in quite different directions.