Word of the Day：July 30, 2022
ineffable
（美好得）难以形容的，不可言喻的
adjective /in-EFF-uh-bul/ [?n?ef?b(?)l]
What It Means
Ineffable is used to describe something that is indescribable or unspeakable and that cannot be expressed in words. It is also used for things which are taboo and are not to be uttered.
Ineffable 用于描述无法用语言表达的事物。 它也用于禁忌和不应该说的事情。
INEFFABLE in Context
"But onstage alone, talking to a crowd, he's smooth as can be. A seductive presence, he has that ineffable quality of stardom: a preternatural ability to connect." — Jason Zinoman, The New York Times, 28 May 2022
“他在台上面对众人讲话时能够侃侃而谈。散发着吸引力、他有着难以形容的明星气质：一种不同寻常的沟通能力。”
Ed felt an ineffable joy at the sight of his daughter walking toward him from the plane.
看到从飞机下来的女儿朝他走来，埃德感到一种难以言喻的喜悦。
Did You Know?
"Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness," wrote Frederick Douglass in his autobiography. Reading Douglass's words, it's clear that ineffable means "indescribable" or "unspeakable." And when we break the word down to its Latin roots, we see how those meanings came about. Ineffable comes from ineffābilis, which joins the prefix in-, meaning "not," with the adjective effābilis, meaning "capable of being expressed." Effābilis comes from effārī, "to speak out," which in turn comes from ex- and fārī, meaning “to speak.”
弗雷德里克·道格拉斯在他的自传中写道：“Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness” 读道格拉斯的话，可以看出 ineffable 指的是“indescribable「难以形容」”或“unspeakable 「无法形容」”。 当我们拆分它的拉丁词根就可以看出含义是如何产生的。 Ineffable 来自 ineffābilis，前缀 in- 与形容词 effābilis 的结合，前者是“不”，后者是“能够表达”。 Effābilis 来自 effārī，“to speak out「发言」”，而后者又来自 ex- 和 fārī，意思是“to speak「说出来」”。
Word Family Quiz
What 7-letter adjective beginning with "a" is derived from Latin fārī and means "characterized by ease and friendliness"?
affable