Identifiable

How to spell identifiable

12 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce identifiable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does identifiable mean?

1. adjectiveAble to be recognised, named, or distinguished from others.

Identifiable in a sentence

• The suspect was easily identifiable from the security footage.

• Each parcel carries a clearly identifiable tracking number.

Where does identifiable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin idem, meaning 'the same', which gave rise to the late Latin identitas, the quality of being the same thing. From identitas English built the verb 'identify' in the 1600s, originally meaning to treat two things as one and the same, and later to establish exactly who or what something is. Adding the suffix -able, which marks the sense 'capable of being', produced 'identifiable', meaning able to be recognised or singled out. The spelling trap lives in the middle and the end: the stem keeps its -ify shape softened to -ifi-, and the ending is the Latinate -able rather than -ible. The same idem root also sits quietly inside the everyday word 'identity'.

How the word is built

• ident- (from Latin idem: the same)
• -ify (to make)
• -able (capable of being)