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ineffable

[in-ef-uh-buh l]
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adjective
  1. incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible: ineffable joy.
  2. not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable: the ineffable name of the deity.
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Origin of ineffable

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word ineffābilis. See in-3, effable
Related formsin·ef·fa·bil·i·ty, in·ef·fa·ble·ness, nounin·ef·fa·bly, adverb

Synonyms

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2. unspeakable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ineffability

Historical Examples

  • They at once usher us into that ineffability of Beethoven's which we spoke of.

    Beethoven's Symphonies Critically Discussed

    Alexander Teetgen

British Dictionary definitions for ineffability

ineffable

adjective
  1. too great or intense to be expressed in words; unutterable
  2. too sacred to be uttered
  3. indescribable; indefinable
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Derived Formsineffability or ineffableness, nounineffably, adverb

Word Origin

C15: from Latin ineffābilis unutterable, from in- 1 + effābilis, from effārī to utter, from fārī to speak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ineffability

n.

1620s; see ineffable + -ity.

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ineffable

adj.

late 14c., from Old French ineffable (14c.) or directly from Latin ineffabilis "unutterable," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + effabilis "speakable," from effari "utter," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + fari "speak" (see fame (n.)). Plural noun ineffables was, for a time, a jocular euphemism for "trousers" (1823). Related: Ineffably.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper