Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “potable” come from?

Potable comes from Middle English potable, from Old French potable, from Latin potabilis meaning "drinkable," derived from Latin poto meaning "to drink," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₃-.

potable (English): Good for drinking without fear of disease or...

Definitions

  1. Good for drinking without fear of disease or...

Ancestry of “potable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpotableSuitable for drinking; potable
2Old Frenchpotablepotable
3Latinpōtābilis—
4Latinpōtō—
5Latinpōtus—
6Latinpōtāre—
7Proto-Italicpōtosdrunk
8Proto-Indo-Europeanph₃tósdrunk; having drunk
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₃-to drink

Words derived from “potable”

  • nonpotable
  • unpotable
  • impotable
  • potableness
  • potabilize
  • potabilizer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- →