a. (Freq. unhyphened.) Also 7 uncomatible, 8–9 -able. [UN-1 7 b.] Unattainable; inaccessible.
Characterized by Johnson as ‘a low, corrupt word.’
α. 1694. Congreve, Double-Dealer, II. v. My Honour is infallible and uncomatible.
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 69. It’s an uncomatable Mark, that’s certain, for he can no more abstain from suttling on board, and running Goods a-shore, than he can refrain from talking Bawdy in modest Company.
1722. De Foe, Moll Fl., 85. Some Women may be found, who will dishonour themselves, be Cheap, and Easy to come at, and will scarce wait to be ask’d; yet if they [Men] will have Women, as I may say, worth having, they may find them as uncomatable as ever.
1726. Adv. Cap. R. Boyle (1768), 231. The Juice of the Grape is very uncomatable there.
1822. Scott, Nigel, xxxii. To whom, I doubt, he awes an uncomatable sum.
β. 1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 12, ¶ 18. He has a perfect Art in being unintelligible in Discourse, and uncomeatable in Business.
1732. Hist. Litteraria, III. 549. Some have asserted … that Truth was absolutely uncomeatable.
1818. Miss Mitford, in L’Estrange, Life (1870), II. 35. He is un-come-at-able. One never knows where to catch him.
1847. Illustr. Lond. News, 4 Sept., 158. I have never seen so uncomeatable a place.
1867. J. Payn, Carlyon’s Year, vii. 23/2. Being shut out from Greycrags, its poorer neighbors affected (like the fox pronounced the uncomeatable grapes sour) to shun it.
1890. D. C. Murray, John Vale’s Guardian, xv. The hidden uncomeatable parts of his purchase fed his heart better than the productive paying surface.
Hence Uncome-at-ableness.
1727. Bailey (vol. II.).
1851. Freeman’s Jrnl., 13 Aug., 2/1. The Tschetschenzes, trusting to the supposed un-come-at-ableness of their own fastnesses, have lately been making attacks on the Russian soldiers.
