Both Uses of
intelligible
in
A Thousand Acres
- He shouted, "Who told you to leave the sprayer in that field?" and then something unintelligible.†
p. 158.5unintelligible = not capable of being understoodstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unintelligible means not and reverses the meaning of intelligible. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- The contained roar of the gas and then, a minute later, the first sizzling of meat juices, took on the volume and weight of oracular mutterings, almost intelligible.†
p. 330.1 *intelligible = capable of being understood