adoptable
/əˈdɒptəbəl/uh-DAHP-tuh-buhl
/əˈdɑptəbəl/uh-DAHP-tuh-buhl
Meaningable to be adopted
Common meaning: able to be adopted (inferred)
- adto, towards
- optto choose, wishLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1273 · scan
- ableable to be
‘to, towards’ + ‘to choose, wish’ → adoptable
Journey through time
- Proto-Indo-European*ap-‘seize, attain, bind’source
- Latinoptō‘to choose, wish’
- Englishadopt‘to choose and take up, e.g. a child or a plan’
- Englishformed in English from adoptadoptable‘able to be adopted (inferred)’ · today
Sources & notes
Inferred source: no dictionary we use has an entry for this exact word. Its history is worked out from closely related, listed words in the same family, and we are trusting that link, so bear that in mind. Inferred meaning: able to be adopted. It can be inferred from any of: adopt.
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 adopt + -able (inferred: this exact word is not listed in our dictionaries).
Roots
- optō Latin “to choose, wish”
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