Where does “preferable” come from?

Preferable comes from French préférable, composed of the Middle French verb preferer and the Old French suffix -able, which derives from Latin -abilis and the Latin thematic vowel -i-.

preferable (English): Better than some other option; preferred

Definitions

  1. Better than some other option; preferred

Ancestry of “preferable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpreferTo be in the habit of choosing something rather...
2Middle Englishpreferrenprefer to favor
3Anglo-Normanprefererto prefer; to prioritize
4LatinpraeferoI bear, hold or carry before or forth; I carry...
5Proto-Italicpraiferō—

Words derived from “preferable”

Every word from Proto-Italic praiferō →Every word from Latin praefero →Every word from Anglo-Norman preferer →