ineffable (ɪnˈɛfəbəll
)
Definitions
adjective
- too great or intense to be expressed in words; unutterable
- too sacred to be uttered
- indescribable; indefinable
Alternative Forms
inˌeffaˈbility inˈeffableness noun inˈeffably adverbWord Origin
C15: from Latin ineffābilis unutterable, from in-C15: from Latin unutterable, from 1 + from to utter, from to speak + effābilis, from effārī to utter, from fārī to speakUsage examples
I even trust him to show them something of the ineffable , these goddamned Elder Eddas that everyone thinks they want to remember.
, The Broken God (1993)However, they should not waste time arguing that the true qualities of universities are too mysterious and ineffable for ranking to occur.
The Australian (2004)Something jolted in my mind, then, and I realised why the Who's Who process, with its ineffable secrecy, remains so potent.
Times, Sunday Times (2005)Tragic works either have it or not, that ineffable sacred force which stops the viewer in his tracks, scarring the imagination for life.
, Humanism - The Wreck of Western Culture (1993)