Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , The Immaculate Conception (1767–1769),[ n 1] which depicts the Immaculate Conception (sense 2.3 ) of the Virgin Mary .
From Late Middle English immaculat , immaculate ( “ blameless; flawless, spotless; specifically of the Virgin Mary: pure, undefiled ” ) ,[ 1] borrowed from Latin immaculātus ( “ unstained ” ) (whence Late Latin inmaculatus ( “ unstained; (by extension ) free from sin, pure ” ) ), from im- (variant of in- ( prefix meaning ‘not’) ) + maculātus ( “ stained, spotted; defiled, polluted; (figurative ) dishonoured ” ) [ 2] (the perfect passive participle of maculō ( “ to spot, stain; to defile, pollute; (figurative ) to dishonour ” ) , from macula ( “ a blemish, spot, stain; (figurative ) blot on one’s character, fault ” ) , ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *smh₂-tló-m ( “ wiping (?) ” ) , from *smeh₁- ( “ to rub; to smear ” ) ). The word displaced Middle English unwemmed ( “ pure, untainted ” ) .
immaculate (comparative more immaculate , superlative most immaculate )
Having no blemish or stain ; absolutely clean and tidy .
Synonyms: clear , lily-white , spotless , stainless , unsullied ; see also Thesaurus:clean
Antonyms: unimmaculate ; see also Thesaurus:unclean
1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare ], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. [ … ] (First Quarto), London: [ … ] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise , [ … ] , published 1597 , →OCLC , [Act V, scene iii], signature I2, recto :O loyall Father, of a treacherous Sonne, / Thou ſheere immaculate and ſiluer Fountaine, / From vvhence this ſtreame, through muddy paſſages, / Hath held his current, and defild himſelfe.
p. 1597 , J[ohn] Donne , “Satyre IIII”, in Poems, [ …] with Elegies on the Authors Death , London: [ … ] M[ iles] F[ lesher] for Iohn Marriot , [ … ] , published 1633 , →OCLC , page 344 :So in immaculate clothes, and Symetrie / Perfect as circles, vvith ſuch nicetie / As a young Preacher at his firſt time goes / To preach, he enters, [ …]
1733 , “an Eminent Hand” [pseudonym; Alexander Pope ], The Impertinent, or A Visit to the Court. A Satyr. [ … ] , London: [ … ] John Wil[ f] ord , [ … ] , →OCLC , page 15 :So firſt to preach a vvhite-glov'd Chaplain goes, / VVith Band of Lily, and vvith Cheek of Roſe, / Svveeter than Sharon , in immaculate trim, / Neatneſs itſelf impertinent in him.
1856 , Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Gordon Family”, in Dred; a Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. [ … ] , volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson and Company, →OCLC , page 52 :Every rustle of her silvery silk gown, every fold of the snowy kerchief on her neck, every plait of her immaculate cap, spoke a soul long retired from this world and its cares.
( figurative )
Containing no mistakes .
Synonyms: flawless , impeccable , perfect
Antonym: unimmaculate
( specifically ) Of a book , manuscript , etc.: having no textual errors .
( archaic ) Free from sin ; morally pure ; sinless .
Synonyms: irreproachable ; see also Thesaurus:pure
Antonyms: maculate , unimmaculate ; see also Thesaurus:impure
c. 1624–1625 (date written) , Philip Massinger, The Vnnaturall Combat. A Tragedie. [ … ] , London: [ … ] E[ dward] G[ riffin] for Iohn Waterson , [ … ] , published 1639 , →OCLC , Act V, scene ii, signature [K4], verso :Take not thy flight ſo ſoone immaculate ſpirit.
1641 (first performance), [John Denham ], The Sophy. [ … ] , 2nd edition, London: [ … ] J[ ohn] M[ acock] for H[ enry] Herringman , [ … ] , published 1667 , →OCLC , Act V, page 86 :Were but my ſoul as pure / From other guilts as that, Heaven did not hold / One more immaculate .
1653 , Henry More, “The Defence of the Threefold Cabbala. The Defence of the Moral Cabbala. Chapter III.”, in A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr Henry More [ … ] , London: [ … ] James Flesher for William Morden, [ … ] , published 1662 , →OCLC , page 177 :And this Life is pure and immaculate Love , and this Love is God, as he is communicable unto man, and is the ſole Life and Eſſence of Vertue truly ſo called; [ …]
1743 , [Edward Young ], “Night the Fifth. The Relapse. [ … ] ”, in The Complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality. Night the Fifth , London: [ … ] R[ obert] Dodsley [ … ] , →OCLC , page 14 :The VVorld's infectious; fevv bring back at Eve / Immaculate , the Manners of the Morn.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville , “Knights and Squires”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale , 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers ; London: Richard Bentley , →OCLC , page 127 :That immaculate manliness we feel within ourselves, so far within us, that it remains intact though all the outer character seem gone; bleeds with keenest anguish at the undraped spectacle of a valor-ruined man.
( Roman Catholicism ) Of the Virgin Mary or her womb : pure, undefiled .
( botany , zoology , especially entomology ) Lacking blotches , spots , or other markings .
Synonyms: self-coloured , spotless , unspotted
Antonyms: maculate , maculated , spotted
having no blemish or stain; absolutely clean and tidy
— see also spotless ,
undefiled
Afrikaans: vlekkeloos
Albanian: bardhë (sq)
Armenian: անարատ (hy) ( anarat ) , անբիծ (hy) ( anbic )
Old Armenian: սուրբ ( surb )
Bengali: অকল্ক (bn) ( okolko ) , অকলঙ্ক (bn) ( okoloṅko )
Bulgarian: безупречен (bg) ( bezuprečen ) , чист (bg) ( čist ) , неопетнен (bg) ( neopetnen ) , пре́чист ( préčist )
Catalan: immaculat (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 純潔的 / 纯洁的 ( chúnjiéde ) , 無瑕疵的 / 无瑕疵的 ( wúxiácīde ) , 一塵不染 / 一尘不染 (zh) ( yīchénbùrǎn ) , 整潔 / 整洁 (zh) ( zhěngjié )
Czech: neposkvrněný
Danish: pletfri (da)
Dutch: brandschoon (nl) , vlekkeloos (nl)
Finnish: puhtoinen ( often figurative ) , viaton (fi) , virheetön (fi)
French: immaculé (fr) , acribique (fr) , recherché (fr) , soigné (fr)
Galician: inmaculado
Georgian: შეუბღალავი ( šeubɣalavi ) , უმწიკვლო ( umc̣iḳvlo )
German: makellos (de) , unbefleckt (de)
Greek: αψεγάδιαστος (el) ( apsegádiastos ) , άψογος (el) ( ápsogos ) , άσπιλος (el) ( áspilos ) , άμωμος (el) ( ámomos )
Ancient Greek: ἄχραντος ( ákhrantos ) , πᾰνάχραντος ( panákhrantos )
Hungarian: makulátlan (hu) , szeplőtelen (hu) , szeplőtlen (hu) , tiszta (hu)
Icelandic: flekklaus
Italian: immacolato (it)
Latvian: šķīsts ( of the body or clothes, dated )
Lithuanian: tvarkìngas
Macedonian: беспорочен ( besporočen )
Malayalam: പരിശുദ്ധ (ml) ( pariśuddha )
Manx: neulheamysagh
Maori: parakore
Old English: unwemme
Polish: niepokalany (pl)
Portuguese: imaculado (pt) , ilibado (pt) , impecável (pt)
Romagnol: cândid
Romanian: imaculat (ro) , dalb (ro) , imis ( dated ) , preacurat (ro)
Russian: чи́стенький (ru) ( čístenʹkij ) ( informal, чи́стый (ru) ( čístyj ) , опрятный (ru) ( oprjatnyj ) )
Sanskrit: अमल (sa) ( amala ) , परिशुद्ध (sa) ( pariśuddha )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: беспре́ко̄ран ( Ekavian ) , бесприје́ко̄ран ( Ijekavian )
Roman: besprékōran (sh) ( Ekavian ) , besprijékōran (sh) ( Ijekavian ) , bezgrješan
Spanish: inmaculado (es)
Swedish: fläckfri (sv) , obefläckad (sv)
Tagalog: inmakulada , busilak
Thai: วิมล ( wí-mon ) ( elegant )
Tibetan: དྲི་མེད ( dri med ) , སྐྱོན་མེད ( skyon med )
Turkish: kusursuz (tr) , lekesiz (tr)
Ukrainian: чистий m ( čystyj ) , незаплямований m ( nezapljamovanyj )
Vietnamese: phau (vi) (𤽵), trong trắng (vi)
containing no mistakes
— see also flawless
of a book, manuscript, etc.: having no textual errors
free from sin; morally pure
— see sinless
of the Virgin Mary or her womb: pure, undefiled
— see also undefiled
lacking blotches, spots, or other markings
— see also unspotted
^ “immaculāt(e, adj. ”, in MED Online , Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan , 2007 .
^ “immaculate, adj. ”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press , July 2023 ; “immaculate, adj. ”, in Lexico , Dictionary.com ; Oxford University Press , 2019–2022 .
immaculāte
vocative masculine singular of immaculātus