-ável

See also: avel

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• -ível

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese -avel, from Latin -ābilis. Compare -able in various other languages.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈa.vew/ [ˈa.veʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈa.vɛl/ [ˈa.vɛɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈa.vɛl/ [ˈa.vɛɫ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈa.bɛl/ [ˈa.βɛɫ]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -avɛl, (Brazil) -avew

Suffix

-ável m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -áveis)

1. -able, used to form adjectives from 1st-conjugation verbs

   ‎cantar (“to sing”) + ‎-ável → ‎cantável (“singable”)

   ‎aumentar (“to increase”) + ‎-ável → ‎aumentável (“increasable”)

Usage notes

• Some words ending in -ável are descended directly from Latin as opposed to being formed from a stem and a suffix.

Derived terms

Portuguese terms suffixed with -ável

Related terms

• -abilidade