ineffabile

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”).

• IPA^(key): /i.nefˈfa.bi.le/
• Rhymes: -abile
• Hyphenation: i‧nef‧fà‧bi‧le

ineffabile (plural ineffabili)

1. (literally, rare) indescribable, unspeakable, ineffable

   Synonyms: indescrivibile, indicibile, inenarrabile, inesprimibile

   • early 14^th century, Dante, “Canto XV”, in Purgatorio, lines 67–69:

     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, 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 […]

   • 14^th century, Petrarch, “Sonetto LXXXI — Io son sí stanco sotto ’l fascio antico”, in Il Canzoniere, lines 5–6:

     Ben venne a dilivrarmi un grande amico
     per somma et ineffabil cortesia

     A great friend came to rescue me, with noble and ineffable courtesy

2. (figurative) immense, supreme

   Synonyms: immenso, supremo

3. (informal, humorous or ironic) unparalleled, peerless, matchless, incomparable

   Synonyms: impareggiabile, incomparabile

• ineffabilmente

• ineffabilità

• ineffabile in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

ineffābile

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of ineffābilis