Indeterminable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Unable to be precisely measured, calculated, or established with certainty
2. Not capable of having an exact value or limit assigned due to lack of clear information
3. Impossible to definitively identify or quantify because of uncertainty or insufficient data

Etymology: "Indeterminable" is built from the English prefix "in-" (meaning "not") and "determinable," which is itself the adjective "determine" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." Put together, the word describes something that cannot be fixed, measured or settled with certainty. The word arrived in English by way of Middle French "indeterminable," which in turn came from Late Latin "indeterminabilis." The Latin root "determinare" meant to limit or set boundaries, from "terminus," a boundary or end point. So at its core, the word is about a boundary that cannot be drawn: a question with no edge you can pin down.

Synonyms: uncertain, undefined, indefinite

Antonyms: certain, definite