Ineffability
n.
[L. ineffabilitas: cf. F. ineffabilité.]
The quality or state of being ineffable; ineffableness; unspeakableness.
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[L. ineffabilitas: cf. F. ineffabilité.]
The quality or state of being ineffable; ineffableness; unspeakableness.
To say that something is "ineffable" means that it cannot or should not, for overwhelming reasons, be expressed in spoken words (as with the concept of true love). It is generally used to describe a feeling, concept or aspect of existence that is too great to be adequately described in words, or that inherently (due to its nature) cannot be conveyed in dualistic symbolic human language, but can only be known internally by individuals.
In Zen it is often said that (by analogy) the finger can point to the moon but is not the moon; likewise words and actions can point towards what is ineffable but cannot make another know it.
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![]() | Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy Read more | |
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