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Old; long-established. [Obs.] It is an inveterate and received opinion. Bacon.

In an inveterate manner or degree. "Inveterately tough." Hawthorne.

Inveteracy. Sir T. Browne.

Contrariety or opposition in feeling; settled aversion or dislike; repugnance; distaste. Inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments to others, are to be avoided. Washington.

Continuing for a long time; lingering; habitual. Chronic disease, one which is inveterate, of long continuance, or progresses slowly, in distinction from an acute disease, which speedly terminates.

utterly; to extirpate; as, to eradicate diseases, or errors. This, although now an old an inveterate evil, might be eradicated by vigorous treatment. Southey.

A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed. Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds. Purchas.

The act of making inveterate. [R.] Bailey.

, a sermon lasting two mortal hours. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott. Mortal foe, Mortal enemy, an inveterate, desperate, or implacable enemy; a foe bent on one's destruction.

The deepest malignity or spite; deep-seated enmity or malice; inveterate hatred. "To stint rancour and dissencioun." Chaucer. It would not be easy to conceive the passion, rancor, and malice of their tongues and hearts. Burke.