English Explanatory Dictionary

-ability

English dictionary entry

Meanings

suffix
  1. Forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.

Pronunciation

/-əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ /-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/ [-əˈbɪl.ə.ɾi]

Word forms

-ability -abilities -ibility

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin -abilitas Middle French -abletébor. Middle English -ablete English -ability From Middle English -ablete, -iblete, -abilite, -ibilite, from Middle French -ableté, -ibleté, -abilité, -ibilité, from Latin -abilitas, -ibilitas, from -abilis (“able”) or -ibilis (“able”) + -tas. Equivalent to -able + -ity. See ability.

Related words

agreeability availability avoidability clusterability collocability combinability countability crystallizability disability editability enforceability enjoyability factorizability falsifiability googlability googleability governability impassability impassibility installability investigability mappability mouldability movability passability playability preventability printability rapability rationalizability recognizability registerability removability repairability resettability respectability scanability seeability supportability togglability tolerability treatability undoability universalisability unmappability usability washability wearability winnability writability

Derived words

absorbability acceptability accountability adaptability affability availability bouncebackability capability culpability desirability durability flammability inability inflammability instability liability malleability nonability palpability probability readability reliability respectability stability suitability teachability traceability variability
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