imponderable

See also: impondérable

English

Etymology

From im- +‎ ponderable.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɒndəɹəbl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɑːndəɹəbl/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

Adjective

imponderable (comparative more imponderable, superlative most imponderable)

1. Not ponderable; without sensible or appreciable weight; incapable of being weighed.
2. Difficult or impossible to comprehend or evaluate.

Translations

not ponderable; without sensible or appreciable weight

• German: unwägbar (de)
• Greek: αστάθμητος (el) (astáthmitos)
• Russian: невесо́мый (ru) (nevesómyj)
• Ukrainian: неваго́мий (nevahómyj)

difficult or impossible to comprehend

• German: unwägbar (de), unberechenbar (de), unkalkulierbar (de)
• Greek: αστάθμητος (el) (astáthmitos)

Noun

imponderable (plural imponderables)

1. (physics) A substance or body, which is not ponderable, i.e., which not does not having a detectable amount of matter or measurable mass. An imponderable substance or body; specifically, in the plural, a name formerly applied to heat, light, electricity, and magnetism.
2. An imponderable question.
3. A factor that cannot be anticipated.
   • 2024 July 10, Christian Wolmar, “The future of the rail franchises is certainly uncertain”, in RAIL, number 1013, page 50:

     One key imponderable is the attitude of the companies that will no longer have a role in the business. It is worth noting here that several have already thrown the towel in or been gently pushed out, such as Stagecoach and National Express.

Translations

an imponderable substance or body

an imponderable question

References

• “imponderable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “imponderable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Spanish

Adjective

imponderable m or f (masculine and feminine plural imponderables)

1. imponderable

Further reading

• “imponderable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10