Middle English Dictionary Entry
-āble adj. suf.
Entry Info
| Forms | -āble adj. suf. Also -abel, -abil, -abille, -abul. |
| Etymology | OF -able (from L -ābilis). (a) Most of the OF adjs. in -able (as also the L adjs. in -ābilis, -ibilis) are formed on the stems of trans. verbs, with reference to the object of the action; hence their 'passive' meaning, which may be paraphrased by such expressions as 'fit (to be eaten), worthy (of being admired), subject (to change), etc.' (b) Some are formed on verbs, with reference to the agent; hence their 'active' meaning, which may be rendered by 'capable (of pleasing), entitled (to inherit)'. (c) A few are formed on nouns. (d) Some adjs. in -āble have both 'passive' and 'active' meanings. The new formations in ME conform to the OF models. For L & OF, see E. T. Hammar, Le développement de sens du suffixe Latin-bilis en Français: Lund, 1942. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
In words taken from OF (& L): (a) derived from verbs, with 'passive' meaning: accept-able, agre-able, am-able, blam-able, chaunge-able, forfet-able, fortun-able, honor-able, etc.; (b) derived from verbs, with 'active' meaning: comfort-able, deceiv-able, enherit-able, etc.; (c) derived from nouns: charit-able, favor-able, merci-able, resoun-able, service-able.
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2.
In ME coinages (chiefly, it seems, on specific L or OF models): (a) bilev-able, er-able (cp. OF arable, L arabilis), et-able (cp. L ed-ibilis), find-able, sing-able (cp. L cant-abilis), unspek-able, unber-able (cp. L intolerabilis); (b) fill-able, forber-able; (c) pes-able (cp. OF pais-ible).
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