Where does “profitable” come from?
profitable (Old French) comes from Old French able, from Latin habilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
profitable (Old French): useful; usable; that one can make use of
Definitions
- useful; usable; that one can make use of
Ancestry of “profitable”, step by step
profitable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French able
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 2 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 3 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Old French profiter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | profiter | — |