Where does “definable” come from?
Definable comes from Middle English -able, Old French -able, and Latin -abilis, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰeygʷ- meaning to show or point out.
definable (English): Able to be defined
Definitions
- Able to be defined
Ancestry of “definable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | define | To determine with precision; to mark out with... |
| 2 | Middle English | definen | — |
| 3 | Old French | definer | to finish; to end |
| 4 | Latin | dēfīniō | to bound, set bounds to; to limit |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |