German is famous for stringing words together to make another one. This makes three-mile-long words that are sometimes unintelligible, but on the other hand it's almost always easy to figure out what long words mean from the little words inside them. It's also to compact lots of meaning into one word. For example, Unzurückhaltbarkeit. I found that word while poking nostalgically through some old college essays, and it wanted out. It would not be prevented.
Dissection of Unzurückhaltbarkeit:
- zu, to or towards; der Rücken, back (as in the back of one's body); zurück, back or backwards
- halten, to hold; zurückhalten, to hold (something) back
- -bar, suffix rougly approximating the English suffix -able, meaning that it's possible to do whatever the verb means; zurückhaltbar, retainable (possibly not the best word, but the best one I can think of)
- -keit, suffix equivalent to -ity, the essency of being whatever the modified adjective means; Zurückhaltbarkeit, the ability for something to be held back
- un-, prefix that means exactly the same as it does in English; Unzurückhaltbarkeit, the inability for something to be held back
Is there a good word for this in English? I can't think of one, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist. I can fake fluency in French and German, at least verbally, but don't ask me to translate anything. I have some funny stories about that. Maybe I should post them.
Ralph Melton says:
The first English word that comes to mind is "unstoppability".
Laurabelle says:
Oooo, good one. That's exactly it. Thank you!