Both Uses of
coherent
in
Ulysses, by James Joyce
- He mumbles incoherently.†
Chpt 15 *incoherently = not in a sensible and clear manner; or not in a manner where parts fit together consistently or pleasinglystandard prefix: The prefix "in-" in incoherently means not and reverses the meaning of coherently. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- (The beatitudes, Dixon, Madden, Crotthers, Costello, Lenehan, Bannon, Mulligan and Lynch in white surgical students' gowns, four abreast, goosestepping, tramp fist past in noisy marching) THE BEATITUDES: (Incoherently) Beer beef battledog buybull businum barnum buggerum bishop†
Chpt 15
Definitions:
-
(1)
(coherent) sensible and clear; or describing parts as fitting together in a consistent or pleasing manner
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
A comprehensive dictionary will have more specialized definitions of coherent such as one used in physics.