inestimable
English
Alternative forms
- inæstimable (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle French inestimable, from Latin inaestimābilis, from in (“un-”, “not”) + aestimābilis (“estimable”). Equivalent to in- + estimable.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪˈnɛːs.tɪ.mə.bəl/
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĭnĕsʹtĭməbl, IPA(key): /ɪnˈɛstɪməbl/
Adjective
inestimable (not comparable)
- Not able to be estimated; not able to be calculated, computed or comprehended, as because of great scale, degree or magnitude.
- 1776, United States Declaration of Independence
- He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
- The Voyager spacecraft explored the solar system and continued into the inestimable space beyond.
- 1776, United States Declaration of Independence
- Venerable, great.
- 1789, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 15
- On my arrival hither I found a letter from the inestimable Mr. Wythe, by which he informs me that in consequence of a late act of our general assembly he remains the sole judge of the high court of chancery.
- 1789, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 15
Translations
Not able to be estimated; not able to be calculated, computed or comprehended
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Venerable, great
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References
- “inestimable, a. (n.)” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
French
Etymology
From in- + estimer + -able.
Adjective
inestimable (plural inestimables)
- priceless, invaluable; inestimable
Further reading
- “inestimable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Spanish
Adjective
inestimable (plural inestimables)
- priceless, invaluable
Further reading
- “inestimable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014