Inedible

/ɪnˈɛdɪbəl/ adjective

Definition

Not suitable or safe to eat; something that cannot or should not be consumed as food.

Etymology

From 'in-' (not) + 'edible,' which comes from Latin 'edibilis' (able to be eaten), from 'edere' (to eat). The negative prefix 'in-' reverses the meaning.

Kelly Says

The word 'inedible' is different from 'uneaten'—something inedible is impossible or dangerous to eat, while uneaten is just something you chose not to eat, showing how English uses different prefixes to express different types of negation.

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