-ible
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- -able (productive)
Etymology 1
[edit]From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin -ibilis.
Suffix
[edit]-ible
- An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive sense; forms adjectives meaning "able to be", "relevant or suitable to, in accordance with", or expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense.
- convertible
Usage notes
[edit]- The form -able is usually used in the same sense and is pronounced the same, though sometimes equivalent terms have diverged in meaning: compare suggestable (“capable of being suggested”) with suggestible (“susceptible to influence by suggestion”).
- Generally not productive in English – most words ending in -ible are borrowed from Latin, or Old or Middle French, while -able is more common for producing new words. Examples of production in English include collectible and gullible.
- In general, forms derived from Latin verbs of the second, third, and fourth conjugations take -ible, as well as a few words whose roots end in a soft c or g. All other words take -able, particularly words from the Latin first conjugation, words that evolved through French, and words from Anglo-Saxon.
- Fowler, in his English Usage, recommended using -ible for simplicity in spelling with any verb whose root ends in a soft c or g (such as changible vs. changeable), but this recommendation has generally not been followed.
- Adjectives ending in -ible are occasionally nominalized, as in dirigible, foible, submersible. The adjective sense may become obsolete, as in foible.
- A few words end in “ible” but are not related to this suffix, instead being of different origin, generally a similar Latin suffix. Examples include crucible and mandible. See Etymology 2, below, for details.
Derived terms
[edit]terms derived using -ible
- accessible
- admissible
- alible
- apprehensible
- audible
- collectible
- combustible
- comestible
- compatible
- comprehensible
- compressible
- concupiscible
- contemptible
- convertible
- corrigible
- corruptible
- credible
- deductible
- defeasible
- defensible
- destructible
- diffusible
- digestible
- dirigible
- discernible
- distensible
- divisible
- edible
- eligible
- emulsible
- expansible
- extensible
- fallible
- feasible
- flexible
- foible
- forcible
- frangible
- fungible
- fusible
- gullible
- horrible
- illegible
- immersible
- immiscible
- impartible
- impassible
- imperceptible
- impermissible
- implausible
- impossible
- impressible
- inaccessible
- inadmissible
- inaudible
- incoercible
- incombustible
- incompatible
- incomprehensible
- incompressible
- incontrovertible
- inconvertible
- inconvincible
- incorrigible
- incorruptible
- incredible
- indefeasible
- indefectible
- indefensible
- indelible
- indestructible
- indigestible
- indiscernible
- indivisible
- inedible
- ineligible
- inexhaustible
- inexpressible
- inextensible
- infallible
- infeasible
- inflexible
- infrangible
- infusible
- insensible
- insuppressible
- insusceptible
- intangible
- intelligible
- invincible
- invisible
- irascible
- irreducible
- irrefrangible
- irremissible
- irrepressible
- irresistible
- irresponsible
- irreversible
- legible
- miscible
- negligible
- nondeductible
- omissible
- ostensible
- partible
- passible
- perceptible
- perfectible
- permissible
- persuasible
- plausible
- plug-compatible
- possible
- prescriptible
- putrescible
- refrangible
- remissible
- reprehensible
- resistible
- responsible
- reversible
- risible
- runcible spoon
- self-compatible
- self-incompatible
- semiflexible
- semisubmersible
- sensible
- submergible
- submersible
- suggestible
- supersensible
- susceptible
- tangible
- tax-deductible
- terrible
- transmissible
- unintelligible
- unsusceptible
- vendible
- vincible
- visible
Translations
[edit]able to be done
|
relevant or suitable to, in accordance with
expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin -i- + -bulum (instrumental suffix) or -bula (instrumental suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom. Related to Latin suffixes -brum (candelabrum) and -bra (vertebra).
Suffix
[edit]-ible
- An instrumental suffix; forms nouns representing:
- a tool or instrument
- crucible, mandible, thurible
- a place or location
- a tool or instrument
Usage notes
[edit]This use of -ible is not productive in English. Confusion may arise from mistaking nouns ending with this suffix as being forms derived from the adjectival suffixes mentioned in Etymology 1 above.
Derived terms
[edit]Anagrams
[edit]Catalan
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-ible m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ibles)
Usage notes
[edit]- This suffix is used for verbs of the second and third conjugations, which end in -er, -re or -ir. For the first-conjugation verbs, which end in -ar, the suffix is -able.
Derived terms
[edit]French
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Inherited from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis.
Pronunciation
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-ible (plural -ibles)
Derived terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “-ible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Old French
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-ible
- -ible (variant of -able)
Spanish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Suffix
[edit]-ible m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ibles)
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “-ible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English lemmas
- English suffixes
- English unproductive suffixes
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Catalan terms borrowed from Latin
- Catalan terms derived from Latin
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan suffixes
- Catalan adjective-forming suffixes
- Catalan epicene suffixes
- Catalan masculine suffixes
- Catalan feminine suffixes
- Catalan suffixes with multiple genders
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French suffixes
- French adjective-forming suffixes
- Old French terms inherited from Latin
- Old French terms derived from Latin
- Old French lemmas
- Old French suffixes
- Spanish terms inherited from Latin
- Spanish terms derived from Latin
- Spanish 2-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/ible
- Rhymes:Spanish/ible/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish suffixes
- Spanish adjective-forming suffixes
- Spanish epicene suffixes
- Spanish masculine suffixes
- Spanish feminine suffixes
- Spanish suffixes with multiple genders