inscrutable \in-SKROO-tuh-buhl\, adjective:
Difficult to fathom or understand; difficult to be explained or accounted for satisfactorily; obscure; incomprehensible; impenetrable. 

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recalled the inscrutable comment of a French diplomat about the interaction of the various European organisations: "It will work in practice, yes. But will it work in theory?"
-- Jonathan Fenby, France on the Brink


There is nothing mysterious to a seaman unless it be the sea itself, which is the mistress of his existence and as inscrutable as Destiny.
-- Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness


He delighted in keeping people guessing. His thought processes were eclectic, inscrutable and unpredictable.
-- "Martin Mogridge", Times (London), March 17, 2000

A page of John Lennon's enigmatic lyrics for "I Am [the] Walrus," one of the Beatles' most inscrutable songs, was sold for £78,500 at auction in London yesterday.
-- John Shaw, "Lennon lyric sells for £78,500", Times (London), October 1, 1999


Inscrutable is from Late Latin inscrutabilis, from Latin in-, "not" + Late Latin scrutabilis, "searchable," from Latin scrutari, "to search through, to examine thoroughly (as if rummaging the trash or a heap of discarded garments)," from scruta, "trash, rags." The noun form is inscrutability. It is related to scrutiny, "careful examination."

創作者介紹
創作者 Ailing 的頭像
tame

Ailing

tame 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣( 6 )