Compatibility

How to spell compatibility

13 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce compatibility

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does compatibility mean?

1. nounThe state of being able to exist, work, or get along well together without conflict.

Compatibility in a sentence

• The technician checked the printer's compatibility with the new laptop.

• The dating site claims to measure long-term compatibility between partners.

Where does compatibility come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb compati, meaning 'to suffer with' or 'to feel along with another', formed from com- 'together' and pati 'to suffer, bear, or endure'. From this came the Medieval Latin adjective compatibilis, describing two things able to coexist or get along, and from that the noun compatibilitas. English took the adjective 'compatible' through Old French in the fifteenth century, originally in the sense of things that could agree or exist together without conflict, and the abstract noun 'compatibility' followed. The same pati root that means 'to suffer' still sits quietly inside the everyday words 'patient', 'passion', and 'compassion', all of which share that idea of bearing or feeling. Knowing the root is pati helps with the spelling trap: the unstressed middle vowel is an 'i', giving the -ibility ending rather than the more common -ability.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• pati (to suffer, feel)
• -ible (able to)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix)