Impedible

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɛdɪbəl/

Definitions

1. Something that cannot be consumed as food because it is inedible or harmful
2. Describes a substance or item that is unsuitable or unsafe for eating
3. Refers to any material that is impossible or inadvisable to ingest due to its properties

Etymology: "Impedible" is a word most readers will never meet, and its meaning, "unfit for eating," is the opposite of what its ancestry seems to promise. It is formed from "impede," which came into English from Latin "impedire," literally "to shackle the feet," from "in-" meaning "in" and "pedica," a fetter for the foot, and the suffix "-ible," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "able to be" or "fit to be" something. Put together, the sense should be "able to be impeded," yet the word has come to describe food that cannot be eaten. The gap between form and meaning is the surprising part. Because "impede" is a verb of obstruction, a word built on it would normally describe something that can be hindered or blocked, not something that is spoiled or inedible. The "-ible" ending does not carry the sense of "unfit" on its own, so the word's meaning depends on how it was understood at the time it was coined, rather than on a simple reading of its parts.