-able
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also able
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
- -ible (not productive)
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin -ābilis. (Not closely related etymologically, though currently related semantically, to able.)
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Suffix
-able
- An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive sense; forms adjectives meaning possible, or fit.
- able to be
- movable: able to be moved
- amendable, able to be amended
- fit to be
- blamable, fit to be blamed
- salable, fit to be sold
- relevant or suitable to, in accordance with
- fashionable
- seasonable
- expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense
- indicating obligation; as in payable, reportable, taxable.
- able to be
[edit] Usage notes
- While a terminal silent -e is usually dropped when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, which is followed by -able, the -e is not dropped when adding -able if the root ends with a soft -ce and -ge, as in replaceable and changeable, so that these are not misinterpreted as hard ‘c’ or ‘g’ sounds. This same rule is used for -ous, as in courageous.
- The form -ible has the same senses and pronunciation. The choice between the two is somewhat idiosyncratic, but in general, -ible is used in forms derived from Latin verbs of the second, third, and fourth conjugations, and in a few words whose roots end in a soft c or g, while -able is used in all other such words, particularly those formed from Latin verbs of the first conjugation and those that come from French or from Anglo-Saxon (Old English). Fowler's English Usage recommends using -ible for simplicity's sake in any word whose root ends in a soft c or g to avoid -eable (e.g., *changible rather than changeable), but this recommendation has generally not been followed.
- A number of adjectives in -able come from verbs that do not have direct objects, but that rather are construed with prepositions. In these cases, the preposition does not appear with the adjective in -able; hence, reliable (“worthy of being relied on”), laughable (“suited for laughing at”), remarkable (“fit to be remarked upon”), and so on.
- Traditionally, verbs ending in unstressed -ate drop this suffix before adding -able; hence, communicable (“able to be communicated”), eradicable (“possible to eradicate”), and so on.
- There are cases where a word with un- -able is much more common than one with just -able, such as unbreakable, unsinkable, and untouchable.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
able to be
fit to be
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expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Catalan
[edit] Etymology
From Latin -ābilis.
[edit] Suffix
-able m. and f. (plural -ables)
[edit] Usage notes
This suffix is used for verbs of the first conjugation, which end in -ar and are the most common. For other verbs, the suffix is -ible.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] French
[edit] Etymology
Old French, from Latin -ābilis.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /abl/
[edit] Suffix
-able (plural -ables)
- able to be done (similar to English, above)
[edit] Old French
[edit] Etymology
Latin -ābilis.
[edit] Suffix
-able (plural -ables)
- worthy of, deserving of
- honnorable - honorable
- -ing, creating an effect, an influence
- forsenable - maddening
[edit] Descendants
[edit] Spanish
[edit] Etymology
From Latin -ābilis.
[edit] Suffix
-able (plural -ables)
- able to be done (similar to English, above)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English suffixes
- English productive suffixes
- English words suffixed with -able
- Catalan terms derived from Latin
- Catalan suffixes
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms derived from Latin
- French suffixes
- Old French terms derived from Latin
- Old French suffixes
- Spanish terms derived from Latin
- Spanish suffixes
