washable

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wed-

Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti

Proto-Indo-European *wodsḱéti

Proto-Germanic *waskaną

Proto-West Germanic *waskan

Old English wascan

Middle English wasshen

English wash

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin -ābilis

Old French -ablebor.

Middle English -able

English -able

English washable

From wash + -able.

Adjective

washable (comparative more washable, superlative most washable)

1. Capable of being washed without being damaged; especially by a specified method, for example machine-washable.
   • 1956 January, “New Station at Potters Bar”, in Railway Magazine, page 25:

     The waiting rooms are centrally heated and tastefully furnished with carefully selected tones of easily washable emulsion paint.

Antonyms

• nonwashable
• single-use
• unwashable

Derived terms

• acid-washable
• back-washable
• hand-washable
• hand washable
• machine-washable
• machine washable
• washable diaper
• washable nappy

Related terms

• reusable
• rewashable (in practice, often synonymous, as most items that are washable are rewashable; the latter word gives connotative emphasis to repeated reuse)

Translations

capable of being washed without being damaged

• Arabic: قَابِل غَسِيل m (qābil ḡasīl), قَابِلَة غَسِيلَة f (qābila(t) ḡasīla)
• Bulgarian: който може да се пере (kojto može da se pere)
• Catalan: rentable (ca)
• Czech: omyvatelný
• Danish: vaskbar, vaskeægte
• Finnish: pestävä
• French: lavable (fr)
• Galician: lavable (gl), lavábel (gl)
• German: waschbar (de), waschecht (de)
• Hungarian: mosható (hu)
• Irish: in-nite
• Japanese: 洗濯できる (sentaku dekiru)
• Manx: so-nieet, yn-nieet, yn-oonlit
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vaskbar

  Nynorsk: vaskbar

• Persian: شستنی (fa), شست پذیر
• Polish: zmywalny (pl)
• Portuguese: lavável
• Spanish: lavable (es)
• Swedish: tvättbar (sv), tvättäkta (sv)

Noun

washable (plural washables)

1. Something that can be washed without being damaged.