首页

incoherently

UK[ˌɪnkəʊˈhɪərəntli]US[ˌɪnkoʊˈhɪrəntli]
adv

in a way that is not logical or well-organized; in a way that is hard to understand

adv

in a way that shows an inability to express oneself clearly, often because of strong emotion

Morpheme Breakdown

in
co
herently
in

not

co

together

herently

sticking

Etymology

the word 'incoherently' is built upon its adjective form 'incoherent'. the core concept originates from the latin verb 'haerere', meaning 'to stick or cling'. the prefix 'co-' (together) was added to form 'cohaerere', meaning 'to stick together', which evolved into the english 'coherent', describing ideas that logically stick together. the negative prefix 'in-' (not) was then attached to form 'incoherent', signifying ideas that do not stick together logically. finally, the adverbial suffix '-ly' was appended, creating 'incoherently' to describe the manner of speaking or thinking in this disconnected, illogical way.

Analysis

Structure: in (not) + co (together) + herently (sticking) in- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'not'); co- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'together'); -herently (from latin 'haerent-', meaning 'sticking', functioning as an adverbial suffix derived from the adjective 'coherent').

Examples

the witness answered the lawyer's questions incoherently, jumping from one topic to another.

after the accident, he was in shock and could only speak incoherently.

the essay's argument was presented so incoherently that it was difficult to follow the author's main point.

incoherently – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology