ineffable

[in-ef-uh-buhl]

adjective

incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible: ineffable joy.

not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable: the ineffable name of the deity.

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 for ineffable

2. unspeakable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ineffability

Historical Examples of ineffability

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

too great or intense to be expressed in words; unutterable

too sacred to be uttered

indescribable; indefinable

Derived Formsineffability or ineffableness, nounineffably, adverb

Word Origin for ineffable

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

1620s; see ineffable + -ity.

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.