changeable

English

Etymology

From Middle English changeable, from Old Northern French chaungeable, from Late Latin cambiāre (“to change”), equivalent to change +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• enPR: chān′jə-bəl, IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃeɪn.d͡ʒə.bəl/

Adjective

changeable (comparative more changeable, superlative most changeable)

1. Capable of being changed.

   Synonyms: alterable, modifiable, variable; see also Thesaurus:mutable

2. Subject to sudden or frequent changes.

   Synonyms: fickle, labile, variable; see also Thesaurus:changeable

   The weather is very changeable today: we've had bright sunshine, clouds, wind and rain in the same half-hour.

   • 2021 October 20, Paul Stephen, “Leisure and Pleasure on the Far North Line”, in RAIL, number 942, page 48:

     There will be no problems with visibility, or the highly changeable Highland weather, as Scotland basks in what is reported to be the country's hottest September day for more than a century.

3. (of a species) Capable of camouflaging itself by changing colour.

   Synonym: chameleonic

Derived terms

• changeability
• changeable hawk-eagle
• changeable lizard
• changeableness
• changeably
• unchangeable

 

Translations

capable of being changed

• Bulgarian: променлив (bg) (promenliv)
• Catalan: canviable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 可改變的／可改变的 (kě gǎibiàn de), 可替換的／可替换的 (kě tìhuàn de)

• Esperanto: ŝanĝebla
• Finnish: vaihdettava (fi), vaihdettavissa oleva
• French: changeable (fr)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi)
• German: änderbar (de), veränderlich (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μετάβολος (metábolos)

• Italian: mutevole (it)
• Japanese: 変えられる (かえられる, kaerareru)
• Latin: mūtābilis
• Portuguese: mudável (pt), modificável, alterável (pt)
• Romanian: schimbabil, modificabil (ro)
• Russian: изменя́емый (ru) (izmenjájemyj)
• Scots: immis
• Spanish: cambiable, cambiante (es)

subject to sudden or frequent changes

• Bulgarian: непостоянен (bg) (nepostojanen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多變／多变 (zh) (duōbiàn), 善變／善变 (zh) (shànbiàn)

• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi)
• French: changeant (fr)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi)
• German: wechselhaft (de), wandelbar (de)
• Irish: luaineach
• Italian: ondivago (it)
• Japanese: 変わりやすい (かわりやすい, kawariyasui)
• Maori: taurangi
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: schimbăcios (ro), schimbător (ro), nestatornic (ro)
• Russian: изме́нчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), переме́нчивый (ru) (pereménčivyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: variable (es), cambiante (es)

capable of camouflaging

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變色的／变色的 (biànsè de)

• Finnish: väriään vaihtava
• French: please add this translation if you can

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɑ̃.ʒabl/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

changeable (plural changeables)

1. changeable (capable of being changed)

Related terms

• see changer

Further reading

• “changeable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Adjective

changeable

1. Alternative form of chaungeable