Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unutterable” come from?

Unutterable derives from English utterable, from English utter, from English out, from Proto-Indo-European óynos, ano-, and h₂ent-, meaning "not able to be expressed in words."

unutterable (English): Not utterable; incapable of being spoken or...

Definitions

  1. Not utterable; incapable of being spoken or...

Ancestry of “unutterable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishutterableCapable of being expressed in words, especially...
2EnglishutterOuter; furthest out, most remote; Outward;...
3Middle Englishoutre—
4Old Englishūteraouter
5Old Englishūtout
6Proto-West Germanic*ūt—
7Proto-Germanicūtout, outward
8Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

Words derived from “unutterable”

  • unutterably
  • unutterableness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →