-able
English
Alternative forms
- -ible (no longer productive)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#ABLECategory:English terms derived from Middle English#ABLE -able, borrowed from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#ABLE -able, from LatinCategory:English terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis, from -a- or -i- + -bilis (“capable or worthy of being acted upon”), from Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#ABLE i-stem form *-dʰli- of *-dʰlom (“instrumental suffix”). Not closely related etymologically, though currently related semantically, to able. Displaced native Old English -endlīc.
Pronunciation
- (Western) IPA(key): /əbl̩/Category:English 2-syllable words#ABLECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
- (North India) IPA(key): /ˈebl̩/, [eːbɐl] (same as the word able)Category:English 2-syllable words#ABLECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
- (South India) IPA(key): /əbl̩/, [ɐbɨɭ] (unstressed form)Category:English 2-syllable words#ABLECategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
Suffix
-able (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -able, superlative most -able)Category:English lemmas#ABLECategory:English suffixes#ABLECategory:English adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
- Able to be done; fit to be done.
- Relevant to or suitable to, in accordance with.
- fashion + -able → fashionable (“relevant to fashion”)
- season + -able → seasonable (“suitable to season”)
- Giving, or inclined to.
- pleasure + -able → pleasurable (“giving pleasure”)
- peace + -able → peaceable (“inclined to peace”)
- (colloquialCategory:English colloquialisms#ABLE) Inviting a specified behavior.
- Subject to.
- report + -able → reportable (“subject to be reported”)
- tax + -able → taxable (“subject to be taxed”)
- Due to be.
Usage notes
- Originally appeared only on French and Latin words, like separable. Over time -able was added to stems of English verbs ending in -ate, such as educable. Finally, due to probable confusion with the word able, it was used to form adjectives from all sorts of verbs, nouns, and even verb phrases, such as kickable, get-at-able, and hittable.
- A terminal silent -e is often dropped when adding -able, but for roots ending with a soft -ce or -ge, such as replaceable and changeable, the -e is kept so that these are not misinterpreted as hard ‘c’ or ‘g’ sounds. Similar spelling patterns apply to some other suffixes beginning with a vowel, such as -ous in famous vs. courageous.
- The final consonant of a root is doubled in the same contexts as when adding the suffix -ed. In general, this means doubling occurs when the preceding vowel is short and stressed (as in winnable) but not when it is long (as in obtainable) or unstressed (as in openable). In British English, a final L is typically doubled after a short vowel regardless of whether the vowel is stressed or unstressed (as in compellable, modellable). In American English, final L typically follows the same rules as other consonants (as in compellable, modelable). These are the general trends, but there is some variation within British and American English between these two methods of doubling final L.
- The form -ible usually has the same senses and pronunciation, though sometimes equivalent terms have diverged in meaning: compare suggestable (“capable of being suggested”) with suggestible (“susceptible to influence by suggestion”). The choice between the two is somewhat idiosyncratic, but in general, -ible is used in forms derived from Latin verbs of the second, third, and fourth conjugations, and in a few words whose roots end in a soft c or g, while -able is used in all other words, particularly those formed from Latin verbs of the first conjugation and those that come from French or from Anglo-Saxon (Old English). Fowler's English Usage recommends using -ible for simplicity's sake in any word whose root ends in a soft c or g to avoid -eable (e.g., *changible rather than changeable), but this recommendation has generally not been followed.
- A number of adjectives in -able come from verbs that do not have direct objects, but that rather are construed with prepositions. In these cases, the preposition does not appear with the adjective in -able; hence, reliable (“fit to being relied on”), laughable (“suited for laughing at”), remarkable (“fit to be remarked upon”), and so on.
- Traditionally, verbs ending in -ate drop this suffix before adding -able; hence, communicable (“able to be communicated”), eradicable (“possible to eradicate”), implacable (“unable to be placated”), inimitable (“unable to be imitated”), and so on, but relatable, because relate is re- + -late, not rel- + -ate. Logically one should therefore say rotable to mean "able to be rotated", but rotatable has become accepted.
- There are cases where a word with un- -able is much more common than one with just -able, such as unbreakable, unsinkable, and untouchable.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
| Category:Entries with translation boxes#ABLE |
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Anagrams
Category:English adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:English productive suffixes#ABLEAsturian
Etymology
From LatinCategory:Asturian terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈable/ [ˈa.β̞le]Category:Asturian terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
- Rhymes: -ableCategory:Rhymes:Asturian/able#ABLECategory:Rhymes:Asturian/able/2 syllables#ABLE
- Syllabification: -a‧ble
Suffix
-able (epicene, adjective-forming suffixCategory:Asturian adjective-forming suffixes, plural -ables)Category:Asturian lemmas#ABLECategory:Asturian suffixes#ABLECategory:Asturian entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Derived terms
Catalan
Etymology
Derived from LatinCategory:Catalan terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈab.blə]Category:Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
- IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈa.ble]Category:Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
Suffix
-able m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ables)Category:Catalan lemmas#ABLECategory:Catalan suffixes#ABLECategory:Catalan adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:Catalan epicene suffixes#ABLECategory:Catalan entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Catalan masculine suffixes#ABLECategory:Catalan feminine suffixes#ABLECategory:Catalan suffixes with multiple genders#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Usage notes
- This suffix is used for verbs of the first conjugation, which end in -ar and are the most common. For other verbs, the suffix is -ible.
Derived terms
References
- “-able”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle FrenchCategory:French terms inherited from Middle French#ABLECategory:French terms derived from Middle French#ABLE -able, from Old FrenchCategory:French terms inherited from Old French#ABLECategory:French terms derived from Old French#ABLE -able, from LatinCategory:French terms inherited from Latin#ABLECategory:French terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-able (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ables)Category:French lemmas#ABLECategory:French suffixes#ABLECategory:French adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:French entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Derived terms
Galician
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from LatinCategory:Galician terms inherited from Latin#ABLECategory:Galician terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-able m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ables)Category:Galician lemmas#ABLECategory:Galician suffixes#ABLECategory:Galician adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:Galician epicene suffixes#ABLECategory:Galician entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Galician masculine suffixes#ABLECategory:Galician feminine suffixes#ABLECategory:Galician suffixes with multiple genders#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Derived terms
From
.
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Old FrenchCategory:Middle English terms borrowed from Old French#ABLECategory:Middle English terms derived from Old French#ABLE -able, from LatinCategory:Middle English terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /-ˈaːbəl/, /-ˈaːblə/Category:Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
Suffix
-ableCategory:Middle English lemmas#ABLECategory:Middle English suffixes#ABLECategory:Middle English entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
- Forming adjectives denoting ability, relevance or inclination; -able.
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- “-āble, adj. suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Middle French
Etymology
Inherited from Old FrenchCategory:Middle French terms inherited from Old French#ABLECategory:Middle French terms derived from Old French#ABLE -able, from LatinCategory:Middle French terms inherited from Latin#ABLECategory:Middle French terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-able (plural -ables)Category:Middle French lemmas#ABLECategory:Middle French suffixes#ABLECategory:Middle French entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Descendants
- French: -able
References
- “-able”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
- Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “-able”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.
Norwegian Bokmål
Alternative forms
Etymology
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑːblə/Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
Category:Norwegian Bokmål terms with audio pronunciation#ABLEAudio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɑːbləCategory:Rhymes:Norwegian Bokmål/ɑːblə#ABLE
- Hyphenation: ab‧le
Suffix
-ableCategory:Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms#ABLECategory:Norwegian Bokmål suffix forms#ABLECategory:Norwegian Bokmål entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Anagrams
Old French
Etymology
Inherited from LatinCategory:Old French terms inherited from Latin#ABLECategory:Old French terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-able (plural -ables)Category:Old French lemmas#ABLECategory:Old French suffixes#ABLECategory:Old French entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
- worthy of, deserving of
- honorer (“to honor”) + -able → honnorable (“honorable”)
- -ing, creating an effect, an influence
- forsener (“to become insane or enraged”) + -able → forsenable (“maddening”)
Descendants
References
- “-able”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
- Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “-able”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.
- -able on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
- http://zeus.atilf.fr/scripts/dmfX.exe?IDF=dmfXaabb;ISIS=isis_dmfL.txt;s=s14033bb8;XMODE=STELLa
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Suffix
-able m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ables)Category:Portuguese lemmas#ABLECategory:Portuguese suffixes#ABLECategory:Portuguese adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:Portuguese epicene suffixes#ABLECategory:Portuguese entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Portuguese masculine suffixes#ABLECategory:Portuguese feminine suffixes#ABLECategory:Portuguese suffixes with multiple genders#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
- (BeiraCategory:Beirão Portuguese#ABLE, Northern PortugalCategory:Northern Portugal Portuguese#ABLE) alternative form of -ável
Related terms
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Old SpanishCategory:Spanish terms inherited from Old Spanish#ABLECategory:Spanish terms derived from Old Spanish#ABLE -abile, from LatinCategory:Spanish terms inherited from Latin#ABLECategory:Spanish terms derived from Latin#ABLE -ābilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈable/ [ˈa.β̞le]Category:Spanish 2-syllable words#ABLECategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#ABLE
Category:Spanish terms with audio pronunciation#ABLEAudio (Costa Rica): (file) - Rhymes: -ableCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/able#ABLECategory:Rhymes:Spanish/able/2 syllables#ABLE
- Syllabification: -a‧ble
Suffix
-able m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ables)Category:Spanish lemmas#ABLECategory:Spanish suffixes#ABLECategory:Spanish adjective-forming suffixes#ABLECategory:Spanish epicene suffixes#ABLECategory:Spanish entries with incorrect language header#ABLECategory:Spanish masculine suffixes#ABLECategory:Spanish feminine suffixes#ABLECategory:Spanish suffixes with multiple genders#ABLECategory:Pages with entries#ABLECategory:Pages with 11 entries#ABLE
Derived terms
Further reading
- “-able”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025