unprintable en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English print Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English printable English unprintable From un- + printable.
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Not printable; obscene, or unable to be displayed textually.
Once a neighbor complained that a Gilbreth had called the neighbor's boy a son of an unprintable word.
1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr.; Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen:"There was poor old Wadley, of the Zoological Institute. Wadley sent a message: 'The President of the Zoological Institute presents his compliments to Professor Challenger, and would take it as a personal favor if he would do them the honor to come to their next meeting.' The answer was unprintable." "You don't say?" "Well, a bowdlerized version of it would run: 'Professor Challenger presents his compliments to the President of the Zoological Institute, and would take it as a personal favor if he would go to the devil.'"
1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
Antonyms
Deriveds
unprintably · unprintableness · unprintability
Relateds
Translations (7)
hu nem nyomtatható (not printable) · fi painokelvoton (not printable) · pl niedrukowalny (not printable) · fr inimprimable (not printable) · hu nyomdafestéket nem tűrő (not printable) · no uprentelig (not printable) · gd do-chlò-bhualaidh (not printable)