Obtainable

How to spell obtainable

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce obtainable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does obtainable mean?

1. adjectiveAble to be acquired, secured, or got hold of.

Obtainable in a sentence

• The spare parts are still readily obtainable from the manufacturer.

• A mortgage on those terms is simply not obtainable for most first-time buyers.

Where does obtainable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb obtinere, meaning 'to hold on to, to keep, or to possess', formed from the prefix ob- ('towards' or 'in the way of') and tenere ('to hold'). English took the base verb 'obtain' from the Old French obtenir during the 1400s, carrying the sense of getting something into one's possession. The adjective 'obtainable' was then built in English by adding the suffix -able, which marks something as capable of being done, so the whole word literally means 'able to be got hold of'. The same tenere root, meaning 'to hold', quietly powers a large family of English words including 'tenant', 'tenacious', 'retain', and 'contain'. The chief spelling trap is the ending: it takes -able rather than -ible, a reminder that 'obtain' is a recognisable freestanding English word, and English usually attaches -able to complete words.

How the word is built

• ob- (towards, in the direction of)
• tain (from Latin tenere: to hold)
• -able (capable of being)