Nonnavigable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Implying that certain watercourses are inaccessible for vessels due to their physical characteristics
2. Describes bodies of water or channels that cannot be traveled through by any type of vessel
3. Refers to waterways that are blocked or lack sufficient depth or width for navigation

Etymology: "Nonnavigable" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-", meaning "not," attached to "navigable." The prefix is a Latin negative that English has used freely since the early modern period, and it is attached to a word that itself comes from Latin "navigabilis," built from "navigare," to sail, from "navis," ship, plus "agere," to drive or move. So the word carries the sense of a ship being driven across water at its core. "Navigable" describes a waterway deep and wide enough for boats to travel. Adding "non-" simply reverses that: a river blocked by rapids, a canal silted up, or a channel too shallow for vessels is nonnavigable. Because the prefix can be attached to almost any adjective, the formation is transparent and needs no special history beyond the two parts.

Synonyms: impassable, inaccessible

Antonyms: navigable