Durability

How to spell durability

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce durability

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does durability mean?

1. nounThe ability of something to withstand wear, damage, or repeated use over a long time.

Durability in a sentence

• The boots were chosen for their durability on rough mountain trails.

• Engineers tested the bridge cables for strength and durability.

Where does durability come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb durare, which meant 'to last, to endure, or to harden', itself rooted in the adjective durus, meaning 'hard' or 'tough'. Latin formed durabilis to describe something 'able to last', and from this came the noun quality of lasting. English took the word through Old French durabilite in the late Middle Ages, around the 1400s, when it described the staying power of materials and goods. The same durus root still survives in plain sight in 'endure', 'durable', and even 'duress', all of which share that core idea of hardness or holding firm. Remembering that the heart of the word is the Latin dur (hard) helps fix the spelling, since the tricky part is really the smooth -ability ending stacked onto it.

How the word is built

• dur- (from Latin durare: to last or harden)
• -abil- (capable of)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix)