unmentionable

[uhn-men-shuh-nuh-buhl] Origin

un·men·tion·a·ble

[uhn-men-shuh-nuh-buhl]
adjective
1.
not mentionable; inappropriate, unfit, or improper for mention, as in polite conversation; unspeakable.
noun
2.
something that is not to be mentioned: That subject was classed among the unmentionables.
3.
unmentionables,
b.
(formerly) trousers or breeches.

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Unmentionable has a plethora of syllables.
So is antidisestablishmentarianism. Does it mean:
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.

Origin:
1820–30; un-1 + mentionable

un·men·tion·a·ble·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To unmentionable
Collins
World English Dictionary
unmentionable (ʌnˈmɛnʃənəbəl)
 
adj
a.  unsuitable or forbidden as a topic of conversation
 b.  (as noun): the unmentionable
 
un'mentionableness
 
n
 
un'mentionably
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

unmentionable
1837, from un- (1) "not" + mentionable (see mention (v.)). Unmentionables "trousers" is attested from 1823; meaning "underwear" is recorded from 1910.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature