Debatable

How to spell debatable

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce debatable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does debatable mean?

1. adjectiveOpen to argument or question; not settled and reasonably disputed.

Debatable in a sentence

• Whether the new policy will save money is highly debatable.

• The exact value of the antique remains debatable among the dealers.

Where does debatable come from?

Language of origin: French

This adjective grows out of the verb 'debate', which English took from the Old French 'debatre', meaning 'to fight or contend about something'. That French verb was assembled from the prefix 'de-', here meaning 'down' or 'thoroughly', and 'batre', 'to beat', which descends from the Latin 'battuere', 'to beat or strike'. The original sense was almost physical, a beating back and forth, and it softened over time into the idea of two sides striking arguments against each other. By the early 1500s 'debatable' was being used in English to describe land or territory that two parties were still fighting over, and only later did it settle into its modern meaning of a point that is open to argument or genuinely uncertain. The same 'battuere' root quietly survives in everyday words such as 'battle', 'batter' and 'combat', a reminder that a debate is, at heart, a controlled fight.

How the word is built

• de- (down, thoroughly)
• bat (from Latin battuere: to beat, fight)
• -able (capable of being)