Workable

How to spell workable

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce workable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does workable mean?

1. adjectiveCapable of being done, used, or carried out successfully; practical.

Workable in a sentence

• The committee finally agreed on a workable compromise.

• His budget plan looked ambitious but turned out to be entirely workable.

Where does workable come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built from the native English noun and verb 'work', which descends from Old English 'weorc', meaning labour, a deed, or something made, a word with relatives across the Germanic languages. To it English attached the suffix '-able', borrowed long ago through Old French from the Latin '-abilis', meaning 'capable of' or 'fit to be'. The combination produces the straightforward sense of something that can be worked, used, or carried out successfully. 'Workable' appears in English from around the seventeenth century, first describing material that could be shaped or handled and later widening to describe any plan or arrangement that is practical and likely to succeed. Because the suffix simply attaches to the whole word 'work', the spelling holds no hidden trap once you see that it is 'work' plus 'able'.

How the word is built

• work (Old English weorc: labour, task)
• -able (capable of, suitable for)