Edible

How to spell edible

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce edible

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does edible mean?

1. adjectiveSafe or fit to be eaten.

Edible in a sentence

• The chef confirmed that the flowers on the cake were edible.

• These mushrooms look similar to a poisonous variety, so check that they are edible before cooking.

Where does edible come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb edere, which simply meant 'to eat'. From that root Late Latin formed the adjective edibilis, meaning 'fit to be eaten' or 'capable of being eaten'. English adopted the term in the early 1600s, keeping the Latin -ibilis ending in its modern -ible form. The same eating root survives quietly in a few learned relatives, including the words 'comestible' and 'obese' (which derives from a Latin verb meaning to eat away at oneself). The spelling trap is precisely that Latin -ible ending: because so many English adjectives take -able, writers are tempted to write 'edable', yet the historic Latin form fixes it firmly as -ible.

How the word is built

• ed- (from Latin edere: to eat)
• -ible (able to be)