Help me find this word!
January 2, 2011 3:32 PM   Subscribe

A friend is searching for "a word that describes the state of knowing something but being unable to express it". Not by physical defect or injury, but like being tongue-tied. He's looking for one word only.
posted by jeffrygardner to Education (25 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Not really but sorta ... inchoate.
posted by thinkpiece at 3:36 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Aphasia isn't quite it, because it requires a defect. But that might be what he's thinking of.

Dumbstruck probably isn't it either, because that's not a specific word, but a temporary inability to speak.

(Verklempt is to be emotionally choked up and unable to speak due to a "lump in the throat")
posted by gjc at 3:38 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Taciturn?
posted by sarastro at 3:42 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Wordless
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:42 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Aphasic
posted by rancidchickn at 3:42 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Dumbstruck? Aphasic?
posted by jessamyn at 3:52 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: inarticulate?

in·ar·tic·u·late/ˌinärˈtikyəlit/Adjective
1. Unable to speak distinctly or express oneself clearly.
posted by TheGoodBlood at 4:01 PM on January 2, 2011


Dysnomia?
posted by lovecrafty at 4:05 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


It's "tip of the tongue" phenomenon, but I can't think of a single word to express that. Maybe that phrase'll help you find it, though.
According to Wiki, a bunch of different languages use that same expression to describe what you're talking about.
posted by estlin at 4:15 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: inarticulate?
posted by Wordwoman at 4:17 PM on January 2, 2011


ineffable?
posted by ultrapotato at 4:31 PM on January 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


Confabulated?
posted by ZaneJ. at 4:33 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


...?
posted by Nomyte at 4:35 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Inexpressible.
posted by orthogonality at 4:45 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


speechless or dumbfounded?

Or, why not just use tongue-tied? Since it's one word and you already used it in your description, it seems like it fits better than any of our other suggestions which are close but not quite.
posted by amyms at 5:00 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


"She couldn't find the words to express her objection, but her gut told her this was totally wrong."
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:12 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Gob-smacked. Does it count as two if it's hyphenated?
posted by plinth at 5:16 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: "Aphasia" is commonly used to refer to the everyday phenomenon in addition to the actual condition mentioned above.
posted by cmoj at 5:37 PM on January 2, 2011


Paralyzed (in a metaphorical sense)? Mum?

"Wordless" and "dumbstruck" work best of the ones so far, IMHO. I'd also use the phrase "at a loss for words" if not for the somewhat arbitrary one-word requirement.
posted by Rhaomi at 6:03 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Lethologica.
posted by heathergirl at 6:46 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Stammer.
Stutter.
Waffle.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 8:26 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


mute
posted by salvia at 8:46 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


"tip-of-the-tongue" is the term used in psychology to describe this phenomenon in healthy people.
posted by dantekgeek at 8:48 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Then you know it in visceral terms.
posted by beardlace at 9:59 PM on January 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


Geh, heathergirl beat me to suggesting lethologica. +1.
posted by AthenaPolias at 2:08 PM on January 3, 2011


« Older Best portable music player for a finnicky music...   |   Thrifty mystery Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.