ineffabile
Italian edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin ineffābilis (“unutterable, unpronounceable”), derived from effābilis (“utterable”), derived from effor (“to speak, say out, utter”), derived from for (“to speak, talk, say”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
ineffabile (plural ineffabili)
- (literal, rare) indescribable, unspeakable, ineffable
- Synonyms: indescrivibile, indicibile, inenarrabile, inesprimibile
- early-mid 1310s–mid 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XV”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory][1], lines 67–69; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate][2], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
- Quello infinito e ineffabil bene
che là sù è, così corre ad amore
com’a lucido corpo raggio vene.- That infinite, indescribable goodness that is up there, runs towards Love like a ray comes to a shiny surface.
- 1336, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Libro primo, Capitolo 3 [First book, Chapter 3]”, in Filocolo[3], Milan, published 1998:
- Quello eccelso e inestimabile prencipe sommo Giove, […] per la sua ineffabile providenza […]
- That great and immeasurable prince Jupiter, […] through his ineffable providence […]
- 1336–1374, Francesco Petrarca, “LXXXI — Io son sí stanco sotto ’l fascio antico”, in Il Canzoniere, lines 5–6; republished as Daniele Ponchiroli, editor, Turin: publ. Giulio Einaudi, 1964:
- Ben venne a dilivrarmi un grande amico
per somma et ineffabil cortesia- A great friend came to rescue me, with noble and ineffable courtesy
- (figurative) immense, supreme
- (informal, humorous or ironic) unparalleled, peerless, matchless, incomparable
- Synonyms: impareggiabile, incomparabile
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- ineffabile in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Latin edit
Adjective edit
ineffābile