Where does “solvable” come from?
Solvable comes from English solve combined with the suffix -able, which derives from Old French -able, itself from Latin -abilis, ultimately rooted in the Latin connecting vowel -i-.
solvable (English): Capable of being solved; Capable of being...
Definitions
- Capable of being solved; Capable of being...
Ancestry of “solvable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | solve | To find an answer or solution to a problem or... |
| 2 | French | dissoudre | to dissolve |
| 3 | Italian | risolvere | to solve; to resolve; to settle |
| 4 | Spanish | resolver | to resolve, to sort out, to settle, to address,... |
| 5 | Latin | resolvō | to release, loosen, unloose, unbind, disentangle, relax, dissolve |
| 6 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 7 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 8 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |