Wordwyrt

definable

/dɪˈfaɪnəbəl/dih-FIGH-nuh-buhl
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked
/dɪˈfaɪnəbəl/dih-FIGH-nuh-buhl

Meaningthat one can define

Common meaning: able to be defined

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‘down, away, off’ + ‘a boundary, end, limit’ → definable

Journey through time

  1. Latinfīnis‘a boundary, end, limit’
  2. Frenchdefiner
  3. Englishdefine‘to state exactly what a word or thing means’
  4. Englishformed in English from definedefinable‘able to be defined’ · 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 define + -able.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), DEFINE, p.158 · scan

Roots

  • fīnis Latin “a boundary, end, limit”

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