Sizable

How to spell sizable

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce sizable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sizable mean?

1. adjectiveFairly large; considerable in size or amount.

Sizable in a sentence

• The renovation left them with a sizable bill at the end of the month.

• A sizable crowd gathered outside the stadium before the match.

Where does sizable come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is built on 'size' plus the common adjective ending '-able', and it simply means fairly large or considerable in amount. The root 'size' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'sise', a shortened form of 'assise', meaning a sitting, a session, or a fixed assessment, which traces back to the Latin verb 'assidere', literally 'to sit beside' (from 'ad', meaning 'to', and 'sedere', meaning 'to sit'). The connection runs through the idea of officials sitting to settle a standard measure or fixed portion, so 'size' originally carried the sense of a regulated quantity before it broadened to mean physical dimension. The adjective 'sizable' appears in English from the late 1600s. Note that the final silent 'e' of 'size' is dropped before '-able' in this American-style spelling, which is the source of the usual hesitation, since the alternative 'sizeable' keeps that 'e'.

How the word is built

• size (from Old French sise, an assessment or fixed dimension)
• -able (adjective suffix meaning 'capable of' or 'characterised by')

Words that sound like sizable

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• sizeable: Fairly large in amount, extent, or number.