Unutterables

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Something that cannot be expressed or articulated in words due to its profound nature or emotional weight
2. Referring to concepts or feelings that defy verbal description, often eliciting deep, inexpressible sentiments
3. Denoting experiences or thoughts that are deemed too intense or complex to explain through language

Etymology: "Unutterables" is a plural noun formed from the adjective "unutterable," meaning "not able to be spoken," with the "-s" marking the plural. In its original sense it was a euphemism for trousers and underwear, one of a family of coy terms that also included "inexpressibles" and "unmentionables." The joke was that the garments were too indecent to name, so speakers had to circumlocute around them. The word that now means "feelings beyond words" is a later, looser use. The fashionable euphemism for clothing gave way to a broader sense, so the same playful evasion that once covered a pair of breeches came to cover anything too profound or too private to put into speech. The shift is from a shy refusal to name a garment to a sense that the thing itself simply resists naming.