effable en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈɛfəbl̩/
Etymology
From Latin effābilis (effor (“to utter”) + -able).
Meanings
-
(archaic, uncommon) Able to be spoken of; able to be expressed.
And leave me unto mine, if they be dreams, That take such shapes before me, that I see them; These effable and ineffable impressions Of the mysterious world, that come to me From the elements of Fire and Earth and Water, And the all-nourishing Ether!
1872, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christus: A Mystery:This attempt by Joseph Smith Jr. to render effable the sublime and ineffable, to contain in words the appearance of the Father and the Son to him on that long ago spring morning in 1820, has become not only the foundational document and “fountainhead” of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but also a touchstone of faith and orthodoxy for the Latter-day Saints.
1996, Richard H. Cracroft, “Rendering the Ineffable Effable: Treating Joseph Smith's First Vision in Imaginative Literature”, in Brigham Young University Studies, volume 36, number 2, →ISSN, pages 93–116:I could not have chosen better for myself than his highness has chosen for me: my only regret on quitting France is at leaving a prince so effable as Philip, and a courtier so virtuous as St. Simon.
1873, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], Kenelm Chillingly: His Adventures and Opinions […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most effable | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more effable | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |