unflappable

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English flap Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unflappable From un- + flap (“to upset, stir”) + -able.

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

   “The whole thing looked remarkably like an implacable force meeting an unflappable object.”

   “It was for this reason that when Lord Hailsham first described Harold Macmillan as "unflappable'", it became an instant catchword, distancing the incoming Prime Minister from his predecessor”