English

-able

/əbəl/
Able to be done; fit to be done.

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    Origin

    Inherited from Middle English -able, borrowed from Old French -able, from Latin -ābilis, from -a- or -i- + -bilis (“capable or worthy of being acted upon”), from Proto-Indo-European i-stem form *-dʰli- of *-dʰlom (“instrumental suffix”). Not closely related etymologically, though currently related semantically, to able. Displaced native Old English -endlīc (equivalent to Modern English -andly, -andlike), and Modern English -worthy.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle English-able
      • borrowedOld French-able “-able”
        • inheritedLatin-ābilis

    Words built on it: available

    Sources