Indeleble

ORIGIN OF Indeleble

In the case of the word “Indelible”, it is possible to establish that it derives from the Latin “indelebilis”, which means “that cannot be erased” and the result of the sum of the prefix “in-“, which is synonymous of “not or without” and the verb “delere”, which can be translated as “to suppress, erase or destroy”.

The adjective indelible can be used in different contexts, for example as a warning that a pen or marker has indelible ink, or ink that is difficult to remove, such as that which in many places is used to mark the finger of citizens who have voted in an election and which takes a long time to erase.

However, we can refer to indelible as something abstract, that is to say, it can be figuratively transferred to other areas.
For example, we can metaphorically say that we have an “indelible memory”, to designate those memories that are difficult to forget, whether they are pleasant or traumatic, or an “indelible love” because the individual feels that it will never be lost.

Thus the notion of indelible can be used in a physical or symbolic sense, although indelible ink is usually used when it is desired that a text, a signature or a seal be durable over time and cannot be erased, even on purpose, without destroying the paper, cardboard or material used.

Indelible inks are used for various reasons, one of the most common being security.

When it is necessary to register a fingerprint on a certain document, an ink of this kind is used so that, no matter how many years go by, the fingerprint remains unaltered.

CURIOSITIES OF Indeleble

When it comes to cosmetics, it is common to use this term to refer to some that are very durable, as in the case of indelible lipsticks that allow a woman to have her lips perfectly painted for 24 hours straight, even if she drinks and eats.