acceptable

/ækˈseptəbəl/ak-SEP-tuh-buhl

/ækˈsɛptəbəl/ak-SEP-tuh-buhl

Meaningable to be accepted

Common meaning: good enough

Other meanings: allowed

acto, towardsSkeat, Concise Etymological Dictionary (1911), p. · scan
ceptto grasp, takeLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 283 · scan
ableable to be

‘to, towards’ + ‘to grasp, take’ → acceptable

Journey through time

Latinad- + capere‘to, towards + to grasp, take’source
Latinacceptare‘to receive’source
Middle Englishacceptensource
Englishaccept‘agree to receive’
Englishformed in English from acceptacceptable‘good enough’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from accept + -able.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), ACCEPT, p.6 · scan

Roots

acceptare Latin “to receive”
capiō, cēpī, captum Latin “to grasp, take”

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