introuvable
French
Etymology
in- + trouvable
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛ̃.tʁu.vabl/
Audio (file)
Adjective
introuvable (plural introuvables)
- unfindable; (by extension) unobtainable or nonexistent
- chercher l'introuvable ― to seek the unobtainable
- 1906, George Bernanos, Unpublished correspondences
- Mais, ce problème-là, personne ne le résoudra jamais, et c'est folie que de s'obstiner à en chercher l'introuvable solution.
- But this problem, no one will ever solve it, and it is madness to persist in seeking an [lit. the] nonexistent solution for it.
- (hyperbolic) elusive, rare
Further reading
- “introuvable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.