irretrievability
|ir-re-tri-ev-a-bi-li-ty|
/ˌɪrɪtriːvəˈbɪlɪti/
cannot be recovered
Etymology
'irretrievability' is formed in modern English by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ity' to the adjective 'irretrievable' (ir- + retrievable).
'irretrievable' was formed by prefixing the negative 'ir-' to 'retrievable'; 'retrieve' itself comes into English via Old French retrouver/ retrouver 'find again' (re- 'again' + trouver 'to find'), and the modern noun was built by adding '-ity' to the adjective.
Originally the root verb 'retrieve' meant 'to find or bring back'; over time the negative adjective 'irretrievable' came to mean 'not able to be brought back,' and the noun 'irretrievability' denotes that condition.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being impossible to retrieve, recover, or restore.
The irretrievability of the corrupted archive meant years of data were lost forever.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/10 20:06