Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bearable” come from?

Bearable derives from Middle English berable, meaning capable of being borne or endured.

bearable (English): Able to be borne; tolerable; endurable; Able to...

Definitions

  1. Able to be borne; tolerable; endurable; Able to...

Ancestry of “bearable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbearA large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and...
2Middle Englishberebear; To pierce
3Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “bearable”

  • bearableness
  • inbearable
  • inbearably
  • semibearable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →