respectable
/ɹɪˈspektəbəl/rih-SPEK-tuh-buhl
/ɹɪˈspɛktəbəl/rih-SPEK-tuh-buhl
Meaningable to be looked back at
Common meaning: seen as decent and proper
- reagain; back
- spectto look at, watchLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1737 · scan
- ableable to be
‘again’ + ‘to look at, watch’ → respectable
Journey through time
- Latinspeciō (spiciō), spexī, spectum‘to look at, watch’
- Frenchrespect
- Englishrespect‘regard for someone's worth or rights’
- Englishformed in English from respectrespectable‘seen as decent and proper’ · 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 respect + -able.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), RESPECT, p.504 · scan
Roots
- speciō (spiciō), spexī, spectum Latin “to look at, watch”
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