irretrievability 
dl' hoing irretrievable ; incapability of recovery 
or reparation. 
Pathetically shadowing out the fatal irretrievabUity of 
early errors in life. De Quincey, Secret Societies, ii. 
irretrievable (ir-e-tre'va-bl), a. [< in- 3 + re- 
t rit ruble.] Not retrievable ; irrecoverable; ir- 
reparable : as, an irretrievable loss. 
The condition of Gloriana, I am afraid, is irretrievable. 
Spectator, No. 423. 
= Syn. See list under irremediable. 
irretrievableness (ir-e-tre'va-bl-nes), . The 
state of beiug irretrievable. 
irretrievably (ir-e-tre'va-bli), adv. Irrepara- 
bly; irrecoverably. 
irretiirnable (ir-e-ter'na-bl), . [< in- s + re- 
turnable.] Not returnable; incapable of re- 
turning or of being returned. 
Forth irreturnable flieth the spoken word. 
Mir. for Mags., p. 429. 
irrevealable (ir-e-ve'la-bl), a. [< i- 3 + re- 
vealable.] Not revealable ; incapable of being 
revealed. 
irrevealably (ir-e-ve'la-bli), adv. So as not to 
be revealed. 
irreverence (i-rev'e-rens), n. [< ME. irrever- 
ence, < OF. irreverence ", F. irreverence = Pr. Sp. 
Pg. irreverencia = It. irreverenza, irriverenza, in- 
reverenza, < L. irreverentia, inreverentia, irrev- 
erence, < irreveren(t-)s, inreveren(t-)s, irrever- 
ent: see irreverent.] The quality of being ir- 
reverent ; lack of reverence or veneration; lack 
of due regard to the authority and character of 
a superior or an elder ; a manifestation of ir- 
reverent feeling. 
Irreverence is whan men doon not honour ther as hem 
oughte to doou. Chaucer, Parson's Tale. 
Others affirm (if it be not irreverence to record their 
opinion) that even in wit he [Virgil] seems deficient by 
many omissions. 
Davenant, Oondibert, Pref., To Mr. Hobbes. 
Not the slightest irreverence was intended in these 
miracle-plays, which were only dramatic performances 
tolerated by the mediaeval Church. 
J. Finke, Idea of God, p. 115. 
=Syn. Disrespect, incivility, discourtesy, rudeness (all 
toward elders or superiors). 
irreverend (i-rev'e-rend), a. [< <- 8 + reverend. 
Indef. 2 an erroneous form (simulating reverend) 
of irreverent.] 1. Not reverend; unworthy of 
reverence; devoid of dignity or respectability: 
as, the irreverend old age of a miser. 2f. Ir- 
reverent. 
If any man use immodest speech, or irreverend gesture 
or behaviour, or otherwise be suspected in life, he is like- 
wise admonished, as before. Strype, Abp. Grindal, App. ii. 
irreverent (i-rev'e-rent), a. [< OF. irreverent, 
F. irreverent = Sp. Pg. irreverente = It. irreve- 
rente, irriverente, inreverente, < L. irreveren(t-)s, 
inreveren(t-)s, not reverent, < in- priv. + reve- 
ren(t-)s, reverent: see reverent.] Not reverent; 
manifesting or characterized by irreverence ; 
deficient in veneration or respect : as, to be ir- 
reverent toward one's superiors or elders; an 
irreverent expression. 
There are not so eloquent books in the world as the 
Scriptures; neither should a man come to any kind of han- 
dling of them with uncircumcised lips, as Moses speaks, or 
with an extemporal and irreverent, or over-homely and vul- 
gar language. Donne, Sermons, v. 
Sir Gawain nay, 
Brother, I need not tell thee foolish words 
A reckless and irreverent knight was he. 
Tennyson, Holy Grail. 
I hope it will not be irreverent for me to say that if it is 
probable that God would reveal his will to others, on a 
point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed he 
would reveal it directly to me. 
Lincoln, in Raymond, p. 212. 
irreverential (i-rev-e-ren'shal), a. [= ML. ir- 
reverentialis (rare); as in- 3 -$- reverential.] Per- 
taining to or marked by irreverence. [Bare.] 
Irreverential pleasure. George Eliot, Essays. 
irreverently (i-rey'e-rent-li), adv. In an irrev- 
erent manner; without reverence. 
Who can with patience hear this filthy, rascally fool 
speak so irreverently of persons eminent both in greatness 
and piety? Miltan, Defence of the People of England. 
irreversibility (ir-e-ver-si-bil'i-ti), . [< irre- 
versible: see -bittty.] The quality or condition 
of being irreversible ; incapability of reversal 
or inversion. 
irreversible (ir-e-ver'si-bl), a. [< in-S + rever- 
sible.] 1. Not reversible; incapable of being 
reversed or inverted. 2. Not to be recalled or 
annulled. 
An uncertain sentence which must stand eternally irre- 
versible, be it good or bad. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836), I. 333. 
This rejection of the Jews, as it is not universal, so neither 
is it final and irreversible. 
Jortin, Remarks on Eccles. Hist. 
3190 
irreversibleness (ir-e-ver'si-bl-ues), . The 
state or quality of being irreversible ; irrever- 
sibility. 
irreversibly (ir-e-ver'si-bli), adr. In an irre- 
versible manner; so as not to be reversed or 
annulled. t 
irrevocability (i-rev"o-ka-biri-ti), n. [= F. 
im'-voctibilite = Sp. irre'vocabilidad = Pg. irrevo- 
cabilidade = It. irrevocabilita ; as irrevocable + 
-ity: see-bility.] The state of being irre vocable. 
irrevocable (i-rev'o-ka-bl), a. [= F. irrevoca- 
ble = Sp. irrevocable = Pg. irrevocavcl = It. ir- 
revoeabile, inrcvocabile, < L. irrevocabilis, inrevo- 
cabilis, that cannot be called back, < in- priv. 
+ revocabilis, that can be called back : see revo- 
cable.] Not revocable; not to be revoked or 
recalled ; that cannot be repealed or annulled: 
as, an irrevocable decree. 
Firm and irrevocable is my doom 
Which I have pass'd upon her ; she is banish'd. 
Shak., As you Like it, i. 3, 85. 
irrevocableness (i-rev'o-ka-bl-nes), n. Irrevo- 
cability. 
irrevocably (i-rev'o-ka-bli), adv. In an irrevo- 
cable manner; beyonS recall ; so as to preclude 
recall or repeal. 
irrevolublet (i-rev'o-lu-bl), a. [< in- 3 + revo- 
luble.] Not revoluble; having no revolution. 
Progressing the datelesse and irremluble circle of eter- 
nity. Milton, Reformation in Eng., ii. 
irrhetorical (ir-e-tor'i-kal), a. [< in- 3 + rhe- 
torical.] Not rhetorical; iinpersuasive. [Rare.] 
irrigable (ir'i-ga-bl), a. [< L. as if "irrigabilis, 
< irrigare, irrigate: see irrigate.] Capable of 
being irrigated ; that may be made productive 
by irrigation. 
The question of irrigating the arid but irriffaNe portion 
of our public domain is destined to become a leading one. 
Science, IV. 158. 
irrigate (ir'i-gat), v. t. ; pret. and pp. irrigated, 
ppr. irrigating. [< L. irrigatus, inrigatus, pp. 
of irrigare, inrigare (> It. irrigare = F. irri- 
guer), bring water to or upon, wet, irrigate, < 
in, upon, + rigare, water, wet, moisten, akin 
to E. rain 1 , q. v.] 1. To pass a liquid over or 
through; moisten by a flow of water or other 
liquid. 
Lister for some years irrigated a wound with carbolic 
lotion during the operation, and at the dressings when it 
was exposed. Encyc. Brit., XXII. 679. 
Specifically 2. To water, as land, by causing 
a stream or streams to be distributed over it. 
See irrigation. 
irrigation (ir-i-ga'shon), . [= F. irrigation 
= Pr. irrigacio = Pg. irrigngSo = It. irriga- 
sionc,(ii. irrigatio(n-), inrigatio(n-), a watering, 
< irrigare, inrigare, irrigate : see irrigate.] The 
act of watering or moistening; the covering of 
anything with water or other liquid for the 
purpose of making or keeping it moist, as in 
local medical treatment ; especially, the dis- 
tribution of water over the surface of land to 
promote the growth of plants. The irrigation of 
land is often artificially effected by elaborate and costly 
means, consisting of machinery for raising the water from 
streams or reservoirs, and ditches through which to dis- 
tribute it ; and many regions depend upon such artificial 
irrigation for their productiveness. 
By irrigation is meant the application of the waters of a 
running stream by a riparian proprietor in the cultivation 
of his land by artificial means, and not the overflowing of 
its natural banks by periodical or extraordinary freshets 
or swellings of the stream beyond the customary quantity 
flowing therein. Washburn, Eas. and Serv. (3d ed.), p. 308. 
Bedwork irrigation, a method of irrigation especially 
applicable to level ground, in which the earth is thrown 
into beds or ridges. Upward irrigation, a method of 
irrigation in which the water rises upward through the 
soil, instead of being carried off through drains, as in the 
ordinary circumstances. 
irrigator (ir'i-ga-tor), w. [< irrigate + -or.] 
One who or that which irrigates ; specifically, 
an apparatus, such as a fountain-syringe, for 
washing a wound or a diseased surface, or a sur- 
face to be disinfected. 
irrigUOUS (i-rig'u-us), a. [= It. irriguo, < L. 
irriguug, inriguns, supplied with water, < in, in, 
upon, + riguus, watered, < rigare, water; cf. ir- 
rigate.] 1. Watered; watery; moist. 
Like Gideon's fleece, irriguous with a dew from heaven, 
when much of the vicinage is dry. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 610. 
With ale irriyuous, undismay'd I hear 
The frequent dun ascend my lofty dome 
Importunate. Warton, Oxford Ale, p. 127. 
2. Of such a nature as to irrigate; affording 
irrigation. 
Rash Elpenor, who in evil hour 
Dry'd an immeasurable bowl, and thought 
To exhale his surfeit by irriyumw sleep. 
J. Philips, Cider, ii. 
[Obsolete or archaic in both uses.] 
irritable 
irrisible(i-riz'i-bl),rt. [< in- 3 + risible.] Not risi- 
ble ; incapable of laughter. Campbell. [Bare.] 
irrision (i-rizh'on), . [= F. irrision = Sp. 
irrision = Pg. irrisao = It. irrisioite, inrisionc, 
< L. irrisio(H-), inrifio(n-\ a mocking, deriding, 
< irridere, iiiriilerc, laugh at, mock, deride, < 
in, in, on, to, + ridcre, laugh; cf. derision.] 
The act of sneering or laughing derisively; 
mockery; derision. [Obsolete or archaic.] 
Then he againe, by way of irrigion. Ye say very true in- 
deed That will ye, quoth llee, when a mule shall bring 
foorth a fole. Holland, tr. of Suetonius, p. 212. 
To abstain from doing all affronts, . . . and mockings 
of our neighbour, not giving him appellatives of scorn or 
irrision. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 197. 
Irrisor (i-ri'sor), . [NL., < L. irrisor, inrisar, 
a derider, mocker, scoffer, < irridere, inridere, 
laugh at: see irrision.] 1. The leading and 
name-giving genus of birds of the family Irri- 
soridie, founded by Lesson in 1831. I. erythrn- 
rhynchui, the best-known species, is glossy-blackish, with 
Wood-hoopoe {Irrisor erytkrorhynchits}. 
coralline bill and feet, and the lateral tail-feathers white- 
tipped. Irriior (Scoptelui) aterrimus and Irrisor (Rhino- 
pomastes) cyanamelas are other examples. 
2. [/. c.] Any bird of the genus Irrisor or fam- 
ily Irriswidai: as, the black irrisor; the Narna- 
qua irrisor. 
Irrisoridae (ir-i-sor'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < 7m- 
sor + -id(C.] An African family of picarian 
birds, related to the Upupidw, having a long, 
slender, curved bill, as in that family, but 
the tail long and graduated, the head crest- 
less, and the plumage glossy; the irrisors or 
wood-hoopoes. These birds are of arboreal and scan- 
sorial habits, though not yoke-toed ; they are restless and 
noisy, and emit an offensive odor. There are 6 or 8 well- 
determined species, of the genera Irrisor, Scoptelus, p.nd 
Ithinopomaates. See cut under Irrisor. 
irrisory (i-ri'so-ri), a. [= Sp. Pg. It. irrisorio, 
< LL. irrisorius, inrisorius, mocking, < irrisor, 
iiirisor, a mocker: see Irrisor.] Addicted to 
laughing derisively or sneering at others. 
I wish that, even there, you had been less irrisory, less 
of a pleader. Landor. 
irritability (ir'i-ta-bil'i-ti), . [= F. irrita- 
bilite = Sp. irritabllidad Pg. irritabilidade = 
It. irritabilitd, < L. irritabilita(t-)s, inritabili- 
tu(t-)s, irritability, < irritabilis, inritabilin, ir- 
ritable: see irritable.] 1. The quality of being 
irritable; an irritable state or condition of the 
mind ; proueness to mental irritation ; irasci- 
bility ; petulance : as, irritability of temper. 
Towards Phoabe, as we have said, she was affectionate, 
. . . yet with a continually recurring pettishness and irri- 
tability. Hawthorne, Seven Gables, vii. 
2. In physiol., the property of nerve, muscle, 
or other active tissue of reacting upon stimuli ; 
in muscles, specifically, the property of con- 
tracting when stimulated. 
The irritability of the nerves and muscles is permanent- 
ly maintained only so long as both are acted upon in their 
natural positions by the circulating blood. 
Lotze, Slicrocosmus (trans.), I. 106. 
3. In bot., that endowment of a vegetable organ- 
ism by virtue of which a motion takes place in 
it in respon se to an extern al stimulus. Such motion 
may be obvious in a special organ and sudden, as in the 
sensitive-plant and Venus's ny-trap, or slow, as in the coil- 
ing of a tendril ; or it may be internal in the protoplasm, 
of which while living irritability is a fundamental proper- 
ty, and from which, indeed, the outward motion proceeds. 
"The external stimulus may be mechanical, simply the 
contact of a foreign body, or electrical, or chemical ; a 
sudden change from light to darkness, or a variation in 
the intensity of the illumination, sometimes acts as a stim- 
ulus." (Vines, Physiology of Plants, p. 301.) Irritability 
is nearly the same as sensitiveness. See sensitive-plant, 
protvptastn. 
irritable (ir'i-ta-bl), a. [= F. irritable = Sp. 
irritable = Pg. irritavel = It. irritabile, < L. irri- 
tabilis, inritabilis, easily excited, < irritare, inri- 
tare, excite: see irritate 1 .] 1. Susceptible to 
mental irritation ; liable to the excitement of 
auger or passion ; irascible ; petulant. 
Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss 
of personal liberty ; others grow morbid and irritable. 
Irvimj, Sketch-Book, p. 108. 
