-able
or -iblesuff.1. Susceptible, capable, or worthy of a specified action: debatable.
2. Inclined or given to a specified state or action: changeable.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin -ābilis, -ibilis : -ā- and -i-, thematic vowels + -bilis, adj. suff.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
-able
suffix forming adjectives 1. capable of, suitable for, or deserving of (being acted upon as indicated): enjoyable; pitiable; readable; separable; washable.
2. inclined to; given to; able to; causing: comfortable; reasonable; variable.
[via Old French from Latin -ābilis, -ībilis, forms of -bilis, adjectival suffix]
-ably suffix forming adverbs
-ability suffix forming nouns
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•ble
(ˈeɪ bəl)
adj. a•bler, a•blest. 1. having the necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications to do something: able to read music; not able to vote.
2. having or showing unusual talent, intelligence, skill, or knowledge: an able leader.
[1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Latin
habilis easy to handle, adaptable =
hab(ēre) to have, hold +
-ilis -ile1]
-able
a suffix meaning “capable of, susceptible of, fit for, tending to, given to,” associated in meaning with the word
able, occurring in loanwords from Latin (
laudable); used in English to form adjectives from stems of any origin (
teachable; photographable).
[Middle English < Old French < Latin -ābilis]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.