inconceivably
UK[ˌɪnkənˈsiːvəbli]US[ˌɪnkənˈsiːvəbli]
adv
to a degree that is impossible to imagine or believe
Morpheme Breakdown
in
conceive
ably
in
not
conceive
form an idea
ably
in a manner of
Etymology
the word "inconceivably" is built upon the core latin verb capere, meaning "to take or seize," which gave rise to concipere ("to take in together," hence "to conceive an idea"). the negative prefix in- was attached to form "inconceivable," denoting something that cannot be taken into the mind. the suffix -able (from latin -abilis) transformed it into an adjective, and the final adverbial suffix -ly (from old english -lice) was added to create the adverb. thus, the word's literal progression from "not able to be taken into thought" to its modern sense of "unimaginably" demonstrates a clear semantic evolution from physical grasping to mental comprehension.
Analysis
Structure: in (not) + conceive (form an idea) + ably (in a manner of)
- in: latin origin, a prefix meaning "not".
- conceive: from latin concipere ("to take in, comprehend"), functioning as the verb root meaning "to form an idea of".
- ably: from latin -abilis via old french -able and the adverbial suffix -ly, indicating "in a manner that can be [verb]ed".
Examples
the universe is inconceivably vast.
he recovered from the injury with inconceivably fast speed.
the complexity of the code was inconceivably high for a beginner.