Where does “indescribable” come from?
indescribable (English) comes from English describe, from Middle English descriven, from Old French descrivre, from Latin dēscrībō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē, from Latin post, from Latin poste — afterwards, post; by, at.
indescribable (English): Impossible, or very difficult to describe;...
Definitions
- Impossible, or very difficult to describe;...
Ancestry of “indescribable”, step by step
indescribable traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English describe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | describe | To represent in words; To represent by drawing;... |
| 2 | Middle English | descriven | — |
| 3 | Old French | descrivre | to describe |
| 4 | Latin | dēscrībō | to copy off or transcribe something from the original, write down, write out |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via English able
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 2 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 3 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 4 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 5 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |