-ible

== English == === Alternative forms === -able (productive) === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɪbəl/, /əbəl/ === Etymology 1 === From Middle English -ible, from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis. ==== Suffix ==== -ible 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. convertible ===== Usage notes ===== The form -able is usually used in the same sense and is pronounced the same, though sometimes equivalent terms have diverged in meaning: compare suggestable (“capable of being suggested”) with suggestible (“susceptible to influence by suggestion”). Generally not productive in English – most words ending in -ible are borrowed from Latin, or Old or Middle French, while -able is more common for producing new words. Examples of production in English include collectible and gullible. In general, forms derived from Latin verbs of the second, third, and fourth conjugations take -ible, as well as a few words whose roots end in a soft c or g. All other words take -able, particularly words from the Latin first conjugation, words that evolved through French, and words from Anglo-Saxon. Fowler, in his English Usage, recommended using -ible for simplicity in spelling with any verb whose root ends in a soft c or g (such as changible vs. changeable), but this recommendation has generally not been followed. Adjectives ending in -ible are occasionally nominalized, as in dirigible, foible, submersible. The adjective sense may become obsolete, as in foible. A few words end in “ible” but are not related to this suffix, instead being of different origin, generally a similar Latin suffix. Examples include crucible and mandible. See Etymology 2, below, for details. ===== Derived terms ===== -ibly ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== able Category:English unproductive suffixes === Etymology 2 === 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). ==== Suffix ==== -ible An instrumental suffix; forms nouns representing: a tool or instrument crucible, mandible, thurible a place or location ===== Usage notes ===== This use of -ible is not productive in English. Confusion may arise from mistaking nouns ending with this suffix as being forms derived from the adjectival suffixes mentioned in Etymology 1 above. ===== Derived terms ===== === Anagrams === bile, Biel, beli, Lieb == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin -ibilis. === Suffix === -ible m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ibles) -ible, -able ==== Usage notes ==== This suffix is used for verbs of the second and third conjugations, which end in -er, -re or -ir. For the first-conjugation verbs, which end in -ar, the suffix is -able. ==== Derived terms ==== == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French -ible, from Latin -ibilis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ibl/ === Suffix === -ible (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ibles) -ible ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “-ible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Old French == === Etymology === From Latin -ibilis. === Suffix === -ible -ible (variant of -able) == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === === Suffix === -ible m or f (adjective-forming suffix, plural -ibles) (Beira, Northern Portugal) alternative form of -ível ==== Related terms ==== -able == Spanish == === Etymology === Inherited from Latin -ibilis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈible/ [ˈi.β̞le] Rhymes: -ible Syllabification: -i‧ble === Suffix === -ible m or f (adjective-forming suffix, masculine and feminine plural -ibles) -ible ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “-ible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025