-ability
See also: ability
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /-əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
- (UK) IPA(key): /-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
- (US, Canada, General Australian) IPA(key): /-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/, [-əˈbɪl.ə.ɾi]
Suffix
[edit]-ability
- Forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.
- cook + -ability → cookability
Usage notes
[edit]- This suffix is equivalent to -able + -ity, but as it involves both a sound and spelling change it can be seen as a suffix in its own right. Compare -ification (equivalent to -ify + -ation).
Derived terms
[edit]- 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
Related terms
[edit]other terms ending in "ability"
- 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