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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

untranslatable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈʌnˌtɹænz.leɪt.ə.bəl/ (UK)

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 translate Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English translatable English untranslatable From un- + translatable.

Meanings

  1. Not able to be translated.
    • This glyph's data contains references to energy conversion or respiration; however, it may also be describing a transformation via some untranslatable process. It pays close attention to mass-energy equivalence, though the ratios are strange. 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Thermodynamic Glyph:
    • In translating untranslatable words, there is a need to use a sentence or phrase before the message can be passed across. 2024 July 23, Moses Famuyiwa, “12 Untranslatable English Words You Should Learn”, in LiveXP, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2025:
    • They referred to de Gaulle as a chienlit, a totally untranslatable term that suggests defecation in bed.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most untranslatable Degree=Sup lexicographic
more untranslatable Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Antonyms

translatable

Deriveds

untranslatably · untranslatableness · untranslatability

Translations (34)

it intraducibile (not able to be translated) · sv oöversättlig (not able to be translated) · ja 翻訳不可能 (not able to be translated) · be непераклада́льны (not able to be translated) · fi kääntymätön (not able to be translated) · is óþýðanlegur (not able to be translated) · pl nieprzetłumaczalny (not able to be translated) · eo netradukebla (not able to be translated) · gl intraducíbel (not able to be translated) · fr intraduisible (not able to be translated) · el αμετάφραστος (not able to be translated) · sh neprevòdljiv (not able to be translated) · de unübersetzbar (not able to be translated) · sq i papërkthyeshëm (not able to be translated) · fi kääntämiskelvoton (not able to be translated) · sk nepreložiteľný (not able to be translated) · lt neišverčiamas (not able to be translated) · ca intraduïble (not able to be translated) · hu lefordíthatatlan (not able to be translated) · sh непрево̀див (not able to be translated) · gl intraducible (not able to be translated) · uk неперекладни́й (not able to be translated) · mk непреводлив (not able to be translated) · vo netradutovik (not able to be translated) · es intraducible (not able to be translated) · cs nepřeložitelný (not able to be translated) · ru непереводи́мый (not able to be translated) · cmn 不可譯 /不可译 (not able to be translated) · sh neprevòdiv (not able to be translated) · ro netraductibil (not able to be translated) · nl onvertaalbaar (not able to be translated) · pt intraduzível (not able to be translated) · hy անթարգմանելի (not able to be translated) · sh непрево̀дљив (not able to be translated)

untranslatable en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈʌnˌtɹænz.leɪt.ə.bəl/ (UK)

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 translate Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English translatable English untranslatable From un- + translatable.

Meanings

  1. A word or phrase that is impossible to translate satisfactorily from one language to another.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
untranslatables Number=Plur lexicographic