enforceable
/enˈfɔːsəbəl/en-FAWR-suh-buhl
/ɛnˈfɔɹsəbəl/en-FAWR-suh-buhl
Meaningthat one can put strength into
Common meaning: able to be enforced
- enin, into
- forcstrong, braveLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 770 · scan
- ableable to be
‘in, into’ + ‘strong, brave’ → enforceable
Journey through time
- Latinfortis‘strong, brave’
- Frenchenforcer
- Englishenforce‘to make sure a rule is obeyed’
- Englishformed in English from enforceenforceable‘able to be enforced’ · 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: that one can put strength into. It can be inferred from any of: enforce.
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 enforce + -able (inferred: this exact word is not listed in our dictionaries).
Roots
- fortis Latin “strong, brave”
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