What does “uninterpenetratingly” mean?
I was looking up the longest words in certain works of fiction when I discovered this monstrosity: uninterpenetratingly. It is used in Chapter 108 of Moby Dick as follows:
How dost thou know that some entire, living, thinking thing may not be invisibly and uninterpenetratingly standing precisely where thou now standest; aye, and standing there in thy spite?
However I am still unsure as to the meaning of this word, as I could not find it in any dictionaries. Does anyone know what it means?
Solution 1:
Collins defines interpenetrate as:
verb
to penetrate (something) thoroughly; pervade
to penetrate each other or one another mutually
Under Derived Forms is listed:
interˈpenetratively adverb
So uninterpenetratingly means, "not in a thoroughly penetrating or pervasive way."
To stand invisible and uninterpenetratingly is to stand in a way that can not be seen or felt because it has no detectable effect on you.