ineffable

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈnɛf.ə.bəl/
  Play
• US: /ˌɪnˈɛf.ə.bəl/
  Play
• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: IH2 N EH1 F AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵh Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵhs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *bheh2- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *bhéh2ti Proto-Italic *fāōr Latin for Latin effor Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin effābilis Latin ineffābilislbor. Middle French ineffablebor. English ineffable Borrowed from Middle French ineffable, a learned borrowing from Latin ineffābilis, from in- (“not”) + effābilis (“utterable”).

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Belarusian: невымо́ўны (njevymówny) — beyond expression
• Belarusian: невыка́зны (njevykázny) — beyond expression
• Bulgarian: неизразим (neizrazim) — beyond expression
• Czech: nevýslovný — beyond expression
• Dutch: onuitsprekelijk — beyond expression
• Dutch: onzeggelijk — beyond expression
• Dutch: onnoembaar — beyond expression
• Finnish: sanomaton — beyond expression
• Finnish: sanoinkuvaamaton — beyond expression
• French: ineffable — beyond expression
• French: innommable — beyond expression
• Georgian: გამოუთქმელი (gamoutkmeli) — beyond expression
• Georgian: აღუწერელი (aɣuc̣ereli) — beyond expression
• Georgian: უტყვი (uṭq̇vi) — beyond expression
• German: unaussprechlich — beyond expression
• Greek: άφατος (áfatos) — beyond expression
• Greek: ανείπωτος (aneípotos) — beyond expression
• Ancient Greek: ἄφατος (áphatos) — beyond expression
• Latin: ineffabilis — beyond expression
• Manx: neufocklagh — beyond expression
• Norwegian: usigelig — beyond expression
• Norwegian: uutsigelig — beyond expression
• Polish: nieopisany — beyond expression
• Portuguese: inefável — beyond expression
• Portuguese: indescritível — beyond expression
• Romanian: inefabil — beyond expression
• Russian: невырази́мый (nevyrazímyj) — beyond expression
• Russian: несказа́нный (neskazánnyj) — beyond expression
• Russian: неопису́емый (neopisújemyj) — beyond expression
• Slovene: neizrekljiv — beyond expression
• Spanish: inefable — beyond expression
• Swedish: obeskrivlig — beyond expression
• Swedish: outsäglig — beyond expression
• Telugu: చెప్పలేని (ceppalēni) — beyond expression
• Turkish: anlatılmaz — beyond expression
• Ukrainian: невимо́вний (nevymóvnyj) — beyond expression
• Welsh: anhraethol — beyond expression
• Dutch: taboe — forbidden to be uttered
• Dutch: onnoembaar — forbidden to be uttered
• Dutch: geheiligd — forbidden to be uttered
• Dutch: onbespreekbaar — forbidden to be uttered
• French: tabou — forbidden to be uttered
• French: inexprimable — forbidden to be uttered
• French: sacré — forbidden to be uttered
• Norwegian: unevnelig — forbidden to be uttered
• Polish: niewymawialny — forbidden to be uttered
• Polish: tabu — forbidden to be uttered
• Swedish: onämnbar — forbidden to be uttered
• Telugu: చెప్పరాని (cepparāni) — forbidden to be uttered
• Turkish: ağza alınmaz — forbidden to be uttered