-able

• -ible (not productive)

• From Middle English, 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 -bǣre (“bearing, making, worth”), from Proto-Germanic *bēriz; and -lic (“like, having the quality of”), from Proto-Germanic *-līkaz.
• Compare German -bar, Dutch -baar.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ə.bl̩/

-able

1. An adjectival suffix; forms adjectives meaning:
   1. Able to be done; fit to be done.

      movable: able to be moved

      amendable: able to be amended

      breakable: liable to broken

      blamable: fit to be blamed

      salable: fit to be sold

   2. Relevant to or suitable to, in accordance with.

      fashionable: relevant to fashion

      seasonable: suitable to season

   3. Giving, or inclined to.

      pleasurable: giving pleasure

      peaceable: inclined to peace

   4. Subject to.

      reportable: subject to be reported

      taxable: subject to be taxed

   5. Due to be.

      payable: due to pay

• Originally used 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 clubbable.
• While a terminal silent -e is usually dropped when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, which is followed by -able, the -e is not dropped when adding -able if the root ends with a soft -ce and -ge, as in replaceable and changeable, so that these are not misinterpreted as hard ‘c’ or ‘g’ sounds. This same rule is used for -ous, as in courageous.
• As when adding the suffix -ed, a final consonant of a root should be doubled if the preceding vowel is short and (in British English) stressed.
• The form -ible has the same senses and pronunciation. 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 such 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 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.

• able
• ability
• -ability
• -worthy

• Abel, Bale, Beal, Blea, Ebla, Elba, albe, bael, bale, beal, blea

From Old Occitan, from Latin -ābilis.

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈ-a.blə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈ-a.ble/

-able (masculine and feminine plural -ables)

1. -able

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.

From Middle French -able, from Old French -able, from Latin -ābilis.

• IPA^(key): /abl/

-able (plural -ables)

1. -able

• -ábel

From Latin -ābilis.

-able

1. -able

From Old French -able, from Latin -ābilis.

-able (plural -ables)

1. -able

• French: -able

From Latin -ābilis.

-able (plural -ables)

1. worthy of, deserving of

   ‎honorer (“to honor”) + ‎-able → ‎honnorable (“honorable”)

2. -ing, creating an effect, an influence

   ‎forsener (“to become insane or enraged”) + ‎-able → ‎forsenable (“maddening”)

• → Middle English: -able
  • English: -able
• Middle French: -able
  • French: -able

From Old Spanish, from Latin -ābilis.

• IPA^(key): /ˈable/, [ˈaβle]

-able (plural -ables)

1. -able