Where does “inexplicable” come from?
Inexplicable comes from Middle English inexplicable, from Middle French inexplicable, from Latin inexplicabilis, composed of the Latin prefix in- and Latin ex-.
inexplicable (English): Impossible to explain; not easily accounted for
Definitions
- Impossible to explain; not easily accounted for
Ancestry of “inexplicable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | inexplicable | — |
| 2 | Middle French | inexplicable | — |
| 3 | Latin | inexplicabilis | inexplicable |
| 4 | Latin | explicabilis | that may be explained, explicable, explainable |
| 5 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |