- Today's Word
Ineffable
in-EF-uh-buhl
Definition
- (adjective) Too great, extreme, or sacred to be expressed in words; indescribable.
Example
The ineffable beauty of the sunset left everyone speechless, unable to capture its brilliance in words.
Fun Fact
“Ineffable” comes from the Latin ineffabilis, combining in- (“not”) and effabilis (“able to be spoken”). Originally used in religious contexts to describe the divine or sacred, it later expanded to refer to any overwhelming experience that defies verbal description. The word remains a poetic favorite for conveying the limits of language in capturing profound emotions or awe-inspiring phenomena.
(verb) To obtain something by persuasion, scheming, or clever manipulation.
He managed to wangle an invitation to the exclusive event through a friend of a friend.
Late 19th century: originally printers’ slang, possibly an alteration of “waggle” meaning “to move unsteadily,” suggesting indirect or roundabout methods.