*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ible

From Middle English -ible, from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive sense; forms adjectives meaning "able to be", "relevant or suitable to, in accordance with", or expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English -ible, from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ible<ety:der<fro:-ible>>",
        "id": "able"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"est\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"est\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-dʰlom\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ðlom\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ðlis\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-bilis\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ibilis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"-ible\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-ible\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ible\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"able\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ible\" id=\"English:_able\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-ible"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ible"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-ible"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French -ible"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-ibilis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -ibilis"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-ible<ety:der<fro:-ible>>",
        "id": "able"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ible",
      "-ible#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ible",
      "-ible#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-ibilis",
      "-ibilis#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive sense; forms adjectives meaning \"able to be\", \"relevant or suitable to, in accordance with\", or expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

a tool or instrument · a place or location

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin -i- + -bulum (instrumental suffix) or -bula (instrumental suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom. Related to Latin suffixes -brum (candelabrum) and -bra (vertebra).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention-i-la
  • Derivation mention*-dʰlomine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "-i-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -i-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*-dʰlom"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-i-",
      "-i-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-bulum",
      "-bulum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-bula",
      "-bula#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-dʰlom",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-dʰlom"
    ],
    [
      "-brum",
      "-brum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "candelabrum",
      "candelabrum#English"
    ],
    [
      "-bra",
      "-bra#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vertebra",
      "vertebra#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "a tool or instrument",
        "a place or location"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ible →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWlibGU