Where does “viable” come from?
Viable comes from Latin vitabilis, derived from Latin vita (life) and Latin vivo (to live), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w-.
viable (English): Able to live on its own; Able to be done,...
Definitions
- Able to live on its own; Able to be done,...
Ancestry of “viable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | viable | viable, feasible |
| 2 | French | vie | life, the state of organisms prior to death;... |
| 3 | Old French | vie | life |
| 4 | Old French | viḍe | — |
| 5 | Latin | vitam | accusative singular of vīta |
| 6 | Latin | vīta | life |
| 7 | Latin | vīvō | to live |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | gʷīwō | live, be alive |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |