Where does “intelligible” come from?
Intelligible comes from Middle French intelligible, from Latin intelligibilis, from Latin intellegabilis, meaning capable of being understood.
intelligible (English): Capable of being understood; clear to the mind
Definitions
- Capable of being understood; clear to the mind
Ancestry of “intelligible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | intelligible | intelligible |
| 2 | Latin | intelligibilis | Alternative form of intellegibilis |
| 3 | Latin | intellegibilis | understandable, intelligible; perceivable |
| 4 | Latin | intellegō | to understand, comprehend, realize, come to know |
| 5 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 6 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |