ineffable
adjective

- causing so much emotion, especially pleasure, that it cannot be described

- incapable of being expressed in words

Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "ineffable" comes from the Latin ineffābilis, which is formed by combining the prefix in- meaning "not" with the adjective effābilis meaning "speakable" or "utterable". Effābilis itself derives from the verb effārī meaning "to utter”.

The earliest known use of "ineffable" in English dates back to around 1450, borrowed from the Old French ineffable. Its original meaning was "that cannot be expressed in words; too great for words; transcending expression; unspeakable, unutterable, inexpressible".

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EXPRESSING THE INEXPRESSIBLE

In Eastern philosophies like Taoism and Buddhism, the ineffable nature of ultimate reality is conveyed through concepts like the Tao (the nameless source) or śūnyatā (emptiness/void that cannot be conceptualized). The Tao Te Ching states "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."

Indigenous cultures often express ineffability through their languages having more animate grammatical categories that imbue non-human entities with sovereignty, rather than objectifying them. For example, the Native American word "oyate" refers to the community of not just humans but also animals, trees, rocks etc., reflecting a worldview where the natural world cannot be fully captured by human language.

In mystical traditions across religions, ineffability is conveyed through apophatic theology - describing the divine through negative statements, saying what God is not rather than what God is, since God transcends our concepts.

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SYNONYMS

beyond description (expression), beyond words, defies definition, ethereal, impalpable, inexpressible, INEFFABLE, incommunicable, indescribable, sublime, transcendent, unfathomable, unspeakable, untold, unutterable, wondrous, words cannot express

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation, say something like:

“It’s consoling that the INEFFABLE feelings evoked by poetry, art, and music, can be imitated but not felt by an AI without human consciousness.”

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