incomprehensible
/ˌɪnkəmprɪˈhɛnsəbəl/
adjective
Origin
Latin
incomprehensibilis — not comprehensible; unable to be understood
Overview
Meaning Now
- not able to be understood; extremely difficult to understand
- impossible or nearly impossible to comprehend
Literal older meaning
not graspable by the mind
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
incomprehensibill
Earliest period
Middle English
Journey
The word belongs to the large learned vocabulary English took from Latin through French in the Middle Ages and later reinforced in scholarly writing. It is formal but common in educated prose, especially for ideas, speech, handwriting, or explanations that are very hard to follow.
Evolution
- Latin
incomprehensibilis
“not to be comprehended; not understandable”
Built from in- + comprehensibilis.
- Old French / Anglo-French
incomprehensible
“not understandable”
Passed into English through French legal and learned usage.
- Middle English
incomprehensibill
“not understandable”
Early English spelling varies considerably.
- Modern English
incomprehensible
“not able to be understood”
Standard adjective in general and formal usage.
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
not
comprehens-
root
grasp, understand
-ible
suffix
able to be
Related across languages
French
incompréhensible
incomprehensible
Spanish
incomprensible
incomprehensible
Italian
incomprensibile
incomprehensible
Portuguese
incompreensível
incomprehensible
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.