amiable

English

WOTD – 6 December 2011

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English amyable, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French amiable, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  amīcābilis (“friendly”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin amīcus (“friend”), from amō (“I love”). The meaning has been influenced by French aimable, Latin amābilis (“loveable”). Compare with amicable, amorous, amability.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/, /ˈæ.mi.ə.bəl/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Adjective

amiable (comparative more amiable, superlative most amiable)

1. Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious

   an amiable temper

   amiable ideas

   • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt

     A short time afterward at the opera Gerald dragged him into a parterre to say something amiable to one of the amiable débutante Craig girls—and Selwyn found himself again facing Alixe.

2. Of a pleasant and likeable nature; kind-hearted; easy to like

   an amiable person

   • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt

     A short time afterward at the opera Gerald dragged him into a parterre to say something amiable to one of the amiable débutante Craig girls—and Selwyn found himself again facing Alixe.

Usage notes

• See amicable.

Synonyms

• likable

Derived terms

• amiability
• amiableness
• amiably

Related terms

• amicable
• amity

Translations

friendly as an amiable temper or mood

• Belarusian: ла́скавы (láskavy), прыя́зны (pryjázny), дружалю́бны (družaljúbny), сябро́ўскі (sjabróŭski), прыя́цельскі (pryjácjelʹski)
• Bulgarian: мил (bg) (mil), любе́зен (bg) (ljubézen), приве́тлив (bg) (privétliv), дружелю́бен (bg) (druželjúben), прия́телски (bg) (prijátelski)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 友好 (zh) (yǒuhǎo), 藹然／蔼然 (zh) (ǎirán), 蔼然 (zh) (ǎirán), (formal) 友善 (zh) (yǒushàn)

• Czech: přívětivý (cs), laskavý (cs), přátelský (cs)
• Danish: elskværdig
• Finnish: ystävällinen (fi)
• French: aimable (fr) m or f, avenant (fr), affable (fr)
• German: liebenswürdig (de), liebenswert (de), gutmütig (de)
• Interlingue: ,
• Irish: grámhar
• Italian: amabile (it), affabile (it)
• Macedonian: љубезен (ljubezen), мил (mil), пријателски (prijatelski)
• Maori: hūmārika, whakahoahoa, hūmārie
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: elskverdig

  Nynorsk: elskverdig

• Occitan: amistadós, amistós (oc), amical, aimable, gent, avenent
• Polish: przyjazny (pl), życzliwy (pl), przyjacielski (pl)
• Portuguese: amigável (pt), amável (pt)
• Russian: дружелю́бный (ru) (druželjúbnyj), приве́тливый (ru) (privétlivyj), любе́зный (ru) (ljubéznyj), доброду́шный (ru) (dobrodúšnyj), ми́лый (ru) (mílyj), дру́жественный (ru) (drúžestvennyj), ла́сковый (ru) (láskovyj), прия́тельский (ru) (prijátelʹskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: љу̏базан, ми̏о, пријатѐљскӣ

  Roman: ljȕbazan (sh), mȉo (sh), prijatèljskī (sh)

• Slovak: prívetivý, láskavý, priateľský
• Slovene: prijazen (sl), prijáteljski (sl)
• Spanish: amable (es), afable (es)
• Swedish: vänlig (sv), mild (sv), varsam (sv)
• Ukrainian: люб'я́зний (ljubʺjáznyj), ласка́вий (laskávyj), дружелю́бний (druželjúbnyj), при́язний (prýjaznyj), дру́жній (drúžnij), при́ятельський (prýjatelʹsʹkyj)

possessing sweetness of disposition

• Bulgarian: симпати́чен (bg) (simpatíčen), мил (bg) (mil)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 友好 (zh) (yǒuhǎo), 藹然／蔼然 (zh) (ǎirán), 蔼然 (zh) (ǎirán), (formal) 友善 (zh) (yǒushàn)

• Danish: elskværdig
• Estonian: avatud
• Finnish: rakastettava (fi)
• French: aimable (fr) m or f
• German: liebenswürdig (de), liebenswert (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: grámhar
• Italian: amabile (it), affettuoso (it)
• Japanese: 愛想のいい (aisō no ii)
• Maori: hūmārika
• Norwegian: elskverdig
• Portuguese: amigável (pt), amável (pt), afável (pt)
• Russian: ми́лый (ru) (mílyj), симпати́чный (ru) (simpatíčnyj), привлека́тельный (ru) (privlekátelʹnyj)
• Spanish: amable (es), afable (es)
• Swedish: vänlig (sv), älskvärd (sv), god (sv), snäll (sv), rar (sv), ljuv (sv), näpen (sv), ödmjuk (sv)

Further reading

• “amiable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “amiable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “amiable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• aimable

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin amīcābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.mjabl/

Adjective

amiable (plural amiables)

1. amiable

Derived terms

• à l’amiable

Further reading

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

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Old French

Adjective

amiable m (oblique and nominative feminine singular amiable)

1. likable; amiable

Descendants

• English: amiable
• Middle French: amyable