Reputable

How to spell reputable

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce reputable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reputable mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a good reputation; trustworthy and respected.

Reputable in a sentence

• She hired a reputable contractor to rebuild the kitchen.

• Always buy medication from a reputable pharmacy.

Where does reputable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb reputare, which literally meant 'to count over' or 'to reckon up', formed from the prefix re- ('again') and putare ('to reckon, calculate, think'). The same putare is the hidden root in a surprising family of English words, including 'compute', 'dispute', and 'amputate', all of which involve some form of weighing or cutting in the mind. By the late Latin and medieval period reputare had drifted from literal counting toward the figurative sense of 'to consider' or 'to esteem', which is how 'repute' and 'reputation' came to mean the standing in which a person is held. English added the suffix -able, meaning 'worthy of' or 'deserving', so reputable came to describe someone or something held in good regard, that is, worth thinking well of. The spelling trap lies in that quiet -putable middle: the unstressed vowels sound alike, yet the root is firmly 'put', from putare, not 'pute'.

How the word is built

• reput- (from Latin reputare: to reckon, consider)
• -able (worthy of, capable of)