distinguishable
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃəbəl/dih-STINGG-wih-shuh-buhl
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃəbəl/dih-STINGG-wih-shuh-buhl
Meaningable to be distinguished
Common meaning: able to be told apart
- diapart
- stinguto prick; to quenchLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 704 · scan
- ishverb ending (from French -iss-)
- ableable to be
‘apart’ + ‘to prick’ → distinguishable
Journey through time
- Proto-Indo-European*stig-‘stick or pierce, to sting, prick’source
- Latin-stinguō, -stīnctum‘to prick’
- Englishdistinguish‘to tell apart’
- Englishformed in English from distinguishdistinguishable‘able to be told apart’ · 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 distinguish + -able.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), DISTINGUISH, p.173 · scan
Roots
- -stinguō, -stīnctum Latin “to prick; to quench”
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app