Adjustable

How to spell adjustable

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce adjustable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does adjustable mean?

1. adjectiveAble to be changed, moved, or set to a different position or level to suit a need.

Adjustable in a sentence

• The office chair has an adjustable backrest and armrests.

• A mortgage with an adjustable interest rate can rise or fall over time.

Where does adjustable come from?

Language of origin: French

The word traces back to the Old French ajoster or ajuster, meaning 'to bring together' or 'to fit', which in turn came from the Late Latin adiuxtare, 'to bring near'. That Latin verb combined ad-, meaning 'to' or 'toward', with iuxta, meaning 'near' or 'beside'; the same iuxta survives in English words like 'juxtapose'. Over time the spelling and sense of the root drifted toward Latin justus, meaning 'right' or 'exact', which is why we now think of adjusting as making something correct or precise. English took up 'adjust' in the seventeenth century, and the suffix -able, meaning 'able to be', was added to form 'adjustable', describing anything that can be altered to fit. The two letters that trip writers are the silent 'd' tucked behind the 'a' and the final '-able' rather than '-ible', both inherited from this French and Latin journey.

How the word is built

• ad- (to)
• just (from Latin iuxta: near, later linked to justus: right, exact)
• -able (capable of being)