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/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (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.
- The Voyager spacecraft explored the solar system and continued into the inestimable space beyond.
- 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.
- 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.
Derived terms
Translations
Not able to be estimated; not able to be calculated, computed or comprehended
Venerable, great
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References
- “inestimable, a. (n.)” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
Catalan
Etymology
From in- + estimable, or borrowed from Latin inaestimabilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [i.nəs.tiˈmab.blə]
- IPA(key): (Valencia) [i.nes.tiˈma.ble]
Audio (Catalonia): (file)
Adjective
inestimable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inestimables)
Further reading
- “inestimable”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “inestimable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “inestimable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “inestimable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
French
Etymology
Etymology tree
Inherited from Middle French inestimable, from in- + estimable.
Equivalent to in- + estimer + -able.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /i.nɛs.ti.mabl/
Audio: (file)
Adjective
inestimable (plural inestimables)
Descendants
- → Romanian: inestimabil
Further reading
- “inestimable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Etymology
Etymology tree
Middle French in-
Middle French inestimable
Equivalent to in- + estimer + -able.
Adjective
inestimable m or f (plural inestimables)
Descendants
- French: inestimable
- → Romanian: inestimabil
References
- “inestimable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /inestiˈmable/ [i.nes.t̪iˈma.β̞le]
- Rhymes: -able
- Syllabification: i‧nes‧ti‧ma‧ble
Adjective
inestimable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inestimables)
Further reading
- “inestimable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024